InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ DarkWorld ❯ Make A Wish, Kagome ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. However, I have a friend who owns 1/124 of it. As for me - nope, nothing, nada. I only write fanfiction, draw fanart, and lay awake at night imagining what could happen if I controlled the wonderful manga or anime. . . Ah, dreams.

Chapter 1: Make a wish, Kagome

It had been three weeks since the defeat of Naraku. Three weeks since she fused together the Jewel and began its purification. Three whole weeks, and she had yet to decide upon a wish that could be granted without twisting somehow. Nothing ever seemed innocent enough for the Jewel; the demon souls within it would easily seize anything they could grab, whether it be a loophole, a dark intention, doubt or fear. . . It was much too difficult.

That did not stop Kagome from trying. She had composed a list of possible wishes, adding to it whenever Sango, Miroku or Inuyasha thought of something that could work. But after thinking each through thoroughly, she found herself crossing out each one. None of them could work.

"Wish the well to continue working." Who knows where it could take her? Or what it could bring to other times? What's to say that demons from centuries earlier could not come to 1996 and lay waste to everything she knew and loved, beginning with her family and shrine? No, it could never work.

"Wish us to remain together." Oh, no. Too many things could go wrong with that idea. What if their bodies fused together and created a glob of flesh, clothing and eyes? Or if the well suddenly stopped because she couldn't leave her friends? Or worse still, what if she tried to go through and half of her remained behind? She shuddered at the thought. It could even backfire and make them all die in the same instant.

"Wish that you pass school." That one had seemed innocent enough, but thinking it through, she realized it wouldn't work either. Who's to say it wouldn't take her another decade? Or if she suddenly became a genius, her brain overloaded and killed her, as had happened with Albert Einstein? No, she had crossed that one out as well.

But what other wishes would work? None at all, and she knew it. The only thing she could do would be to find the least harmful wish, make it, and hope that it had been purified enough to keep it from opening the well to anything, fusiing their bodies together, or melting her brain. It was her bad luck that she, an untrained priestess thrown into a world entirely different than her own, would have to make a wish that could ultimately save the world and damn it in the same instant. The Jewel was a very tricky thing. Her best idea yet was to appeal to Midoriko, the priestess who had fought legions of demons supposedly by herself, and forced her heart out of her own chest, containing her soul and the souls of the fused demon that sought to kill her.

Perhaps she could do just that.

Kagome stood and stretched, having decided on what to do. First she would pack her things, then go to Sengoku Jidai, the Feudal Era of the fifteenth century, and return to Midoriko's cave. Perhaps with enough priests and priestesses praying, the evil souls within the Jewel could be exercised and made safe for the wish Kagome knew she would have to request of Midoriko. But, perhaps removing the demon souls would be enough. . .Perhaps all Midoriko wished was to rest.

That thought struck her and Kagome smiled. She knew that if she were trapped within a Jewel carved of her own heart, battling the souls of dozens od demons for fifty-plus-years, she would wish for rest.

Gathering her things quickly, she went downstairs, where a familiar half-demon sat with Souta in the living room, playing video games. She almost laughed at Inuyasha's face, pinched in anger and concentration as he battled Souta with a racing game.

Souta is Kagome's younger brother. It was partially his fault that she ended up going on this grand adventure through time, for it was he that had stood at the entrance of the shed which housed the empty well, searching for their cat Buyo. Kagome had gone down because he feared how dark and old it was in there, and was pulled into the well by Mistress Centipede - a female demon who claimed the well as her own. If not for her, Kagome might never have known that there was a Jewel inside her own body, which was later ripped from her side. A scar remained as permanent proof of the Jewel's inhabitance.

Mama was in the kitchen, making lunch, when Kagome came downstairs. Kagome watched her mother smile at her and smiled back, knowing that she need not explain why she carried a large, overstuffed backpack over one shoulder. Her Grandfather sat at the table, reading a paper and searching for a mention of some virus that was going around. It was his part in their charade to come up with reasons why Kagome missed so much school, claiming one illness after another had infested her body and forcing her to stay away from school. It drove a wedge between herself and her friends from school, but it was better this way. Kagome often returned home with a new injury or scar, despite Inuyasha's protection.

It was now that Inuyasha himself lost the race with Souta and stood, looking much like he'd been dishonored in some way. "Kid," he muttered, stepping into the kitchen. One look at Kagome explained why she had come downstairs. "So you're done with studying?" he asked, harshly as ever.

Kagome nodded, unoffended. "And I think I've come up with an idea of how to purify the Shikon no Tama," she said, touching the Jewel as it hung from around her neck.

Inuyasha looked pointedly at her backpack. "Then we should get to it," he said. Stepping closer he took the backpack from her, knowing it was heavy on Kagome but extremely light to someone with his strength. Kagome led the way to the well and leapt down it, Inuyasha right behind her. Of course, he waited a moment first, having jumped right after her once and ramming into her on the other side on more than one occasion.

He held her in one arm at the bottom once he crossed over, leaping out of the well with surprising agility, speed and strength - three attributes of his of which humans were much inferior. Upon touching the grass he knelt, allowing Kagome to climb upon his back before running, heading for Kaede's village outside of Inuyasha's Forest - a woodland named ofter him as he had been pinned to the largest, oldest tree for fifty years in a near-death state. It was Kagome's touch which shattered the arrow that held him, releasing him and binding him in the same instant. He would later claim that it was the prayer beads around his neck which bound him to Kagome, for he could not take them off and they activated for her alone, but he knew the truth. He had always known why he stayed with Kagome. He simply refused to admit it.

Upon reaching Kaede's village and setting Kagome on her feet, a small bundle launched into her arms - a bundle named Shippo.

"Kagome!" he yelled, snuggling into her sailor uniform shirt. "You're back! I smelled you from the moment you got out of the forest!" Changing the subject abruptly, his head shot up and he asked, eagerly, "DId you bring any suckers for me?"

Kagome smiled and fished one out of her backpack, which Inuyasha still carried. She gave it to him and walked beside Inuyasha as Shippo moved to her shoulder. They entered Kaede's hut shortly and she began informing the old healer of her idea.

". . .So maybe, if we could find enough people to help, we could purify the Jewel where it was created, and let the souls to rest. I might not even have to make a wish at all," Kagome finished.

Kaede had listened without speaking and now nodded. "Aye, child, it seems ye have indeed thought of something grand. I shall speak with Miroku and see what we can do." It was a dismissal, made all the more obvious when she began again grinding a mound of sweet-smelling leaves.

The three left the hut as intended and sat at the entrance, awaiting Sango and Miroku. Sango was watching Kohaku, who was saved by Sesshomaru when he used the Tensaiga at the request of Rin. It was something of a full-time job, convincing the young boy that everything he had done had not been his fault, but it was obvious he couldn't stop beating himself up about it.

It was just a week ago when he scared Sango to death, as he had turned up missing one morning - and his weapon as well, a scythe on a long chain. Inuyasha had tracked his scent far, judging by how faint the scent was that he had left shortly after Sango had slept. They found him standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, scythe gripped tightly in one hand, the chain in the other. He didn't answer when Sango called to him, but after a few tense moments he yelled and threw the scythe into the ocean, nearly falling off the cliff himself with the strength he'd used. Sango had run to him and held him, crying, but he continued yelling, cursing the weapon and the Jewel - and Naraku. Since then Sango rarely let the boy out of her sight.

It wasn't long until they were joined by Miroku, who entered the hut to discuss Kagome's thoughts with Kaede. Kagome remained outside with Shippo and Inuyasha, waiting for Miroku's decision. The monk was very smart despite what his wandering hands said about him, and often saw the other side of what people considered one-sided stories. With Kaede discussing praying in Midoriko's cave with Miroku, Kagome had faith that they would work out all the bugs or discard the idea as something that would not work.

As Kagome sat there, she realized that the discussion within the hut was taking longer than she had assumed it would. After several minutes she got up and stretched, aware of Inuyasha's gaze on her. She glanced at him, a questioning look on his face, and she smiled. "I just need a walk," she explained. "I don't know how you manage to si- stay there and do nothing for such long periods of time."

"Feh!" Inuyasha returned, a sound he himself had made up long ago and has since stayed as his alone. He turned his head away, annoyed. "You manage to sit still for pretty long while studying," he pointed out.

"And I always get up to stretch," Kagome returned. She reached down and rubbed Inuyasha's ear, hiding her delight at how soft the dog ear was. Inuyasha, she knew, didn't allow many people to touch him, so it meant a lot to her that she could stroke his ear affectionately - and that he let her. She knew from past events that he liked it, but around others, he didn't show it. "I'll be back soon," she promised as she began walking down a path.

As always, villagers paused to wave at her, children handed her flowers, young men blushed and offered their help. Kagome was used to it. The first time she walked down this path she had returned to a tree with armfulls of food as gifts, simply for being the reincarnation or Kikyo, the most widely-known priestess Segoku Jidai had known. She was known because she had attempted to purify the Jewel, only to die before she had the chance. It was her burning with the Jewel in her hands that had imparted the Shikon no Tama into Kagome's body, five centuries in the future.

After she had been through the village once she returned to Kaede's hut, noting that Inuyasha had not moved - but that at one point he must have, for Shippo had a lump on his head, undoubtedly from Inuyasha's fist.

"Inuyasha!" she scolded, sitting and holding Shippo in her arms as the fox sniffled.

Inuyasha cringed. He knew what was coming. "He started it!" he snapped, turning towards Kagome. "The little brat -"

"Sit!" Kagome yelled, interrupting him. With a painful jerk, the prayer beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed and pulled him down, slamming him into the ground. "It doesn't matter what Shippo did!" Kagome continued. "He's a kid and you've got to teach him by example! Hitting him every time he annoys you isn't teaching anything but violence!"

Growling, Inuyasha forced himself up. "You don't know what he did, and you're already jumping to the conclusion that he didn't deserve it!"

"Alright then, what did he do?!" Kagome snapped, standing and placing her fists on her hips.

Inuyasha stood as well. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you! You never do!"

"Oh, so this is a trust issue, is it?!"

"Yes!"

"Well, let's count the number of ways I trust you," Kagome went on, starting to tick off her fingers. "I trust you to not drop me when you're carrying me. I trust you not to destroy this village. I trust you to protect people who need it. I trust you to fight off and even kill demons who threaten us. I trust you to finish off your ramen whenever I get it for you. I trust that every day we'll have an arguement like this!"

"Feh!" Inuyasha returned, turning his back to her.

Kagome's eye twitched. After a moment she calmed and smirked, naming off one more 'trust'. "I trust that you'll shiver every time I do this," she whispered, reaching up to rub his ear. Predictably, Inuyasha shivered, but then stepped out of her reach and leaped, landing in a tree. He sat on the branch and didn't look back.

Kagome laughed once and smiled at Shippo. "Feeling better?"

Shippo grinned. "I think you punished him more with that touch than with sitting him," the boy observed.

She chuckled. "Knowing him, I probably did." She sat back down. "Have you seen Sango yet?"

Shippo shook his head. "Inuyasha mentioned that she was probably still 'bound down by that kid'. I told him not to call Kohaku that."

"Is this was started your arguement?"

Again, he shook his head. Rubbing the bump on his head, he said, "It's what ended it."

Kagome sighed. "No wonder he didn't want to fill me in on what you did. Well, don't worry, now I know what to do to punish him worse than the beads." She looked up at Inuyasha, noticing that he was looking back at her - for an instant. The moment their eyes met he looked sharply in another direction.

"I thik he'll be good now," Miroku said, making Kagome jump.

"When did you come out?" she asked, calming her heart.

"A moment ago," Miroku replied, sitting down where Inuyasha sat minutes before.

"Have you made a decision?"

He nodded. "In two days I will leave in one direction with Sango, and you and Inuyasha will leave in another. We will each return with any and all willing priests and priestesses for the prayer you mentioned."

"So Kaede approved the idea?" Kagome asked, leaning back a little as weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Course she did!" Shippo piped up. "I heard her! She said it was a good idea - the best they had yet! She said she wished Kikyo had thought of it."

Miroku smiled at the kit and rubbed his hair. "You were not supposed to be eavesdropping," he scolded gently. Kagome was sure that if he treated his own children as he did Shippo, his children would never want for anything.

Shippo pouted. "I didn't mean to," he claimed, looking up to Kagome with large, full eyes.

Kagome smiled at him and hugged him. "I know, Shippo. You can't help it if you hear better than the rest of us. Well - almost," she amended, glancing up at Inuyasha's tree again. Again, he looked away when he noticed her looking at him.

Miroku leaned back, smiling, and relaxed. He glanced at Inuyasha before looking at Kagome again. "I must say, Lady Kagome, if you treat Inuyasha the way you treat Shippo, I am sure he would grow up fairly quickly," he said, half because he believed it and half to annoy Inuyasha.

Sure enough, Inuyasha's voice reached them: "Monk!!"

Kagome laughed. "Well, either he'd grow up, or he'd get spoiled with sweets and a warm sleeping bag," Kagome amended.

She didn't get a response and quickly realized how that statement must have sounded. She blushed, looking down at her feat, and tried to ignore Miroku's chuckling.

She was saved further embarrassment by Sango's appearance, Kohaku as always by her side. She had one arm around him, her other holding a basket of items, and Kirara behind her in her full demon form, bags tied together and thrown across her back.

"Sango," Kagome called, standing up and letting Shippo climb onto her shoulder.

Sango smiled and let go of Kohaku to hug Kagome with her now open arm. "Kagome," she returned, letting go. "I have a few things some villagers requested. Would like to help me pass them out?"

Kagome nodded. "We should. But afterwards, you'll have to talk with -" Kagome broke off and glanced at Miroku, then Kaede's hut. Miroku would undoubtedly reach for Sango's backside while speaking, but Kaede shouldn't be disturbed. "You'll have to talk to Miroku," she finished, offering Miroku a glance thay clearly stated keep your hands off her.

He looked away, his answer that he would try but not promise anything. Kagome sighed.

"Well, let's get going. Do you want Kohaku to stay here?" Kagome asked Sango, offering the boy a smile. Shippo hopped off her shoulder and resumed his seat on the porch.

As always, Kohaku offered a shaky smile in return.

Sango looked at her brother. "Do you want to stay with Miroku or help us pass these things out?"

Kohaku gave a weak shrug. "I'll. . .I will stay with Miroku," he said, even though his eyes were uncertain. He always looked at Sango as though he was asking her permission.

"That's alright," Sango promised him, and she and Kagome began passing out the food and items Sango had gathered.

They returned to find that Miroku, Shippo and Kohaku had been joined by Inuyasha, and all four were speaking. Well - two were speaking, one was answering questions, and the forth was trying to get attention. Two of the aforementioned greeted Kagome and Sango's return warmly, one rolled his eyes, and the forth looked up almost warily.

Kagome shook out her hair as she reached them, having gotten leaves in her hair when she forgot to duck under a tree with low limbs. She didn't notice that the movement gained more than one interested glance. Near immediately Sango began speaking with Miroku, so Kagome left, hefting her backpack over her shoulder.

She had taken three steps before she heard a familiar snort and the pack was taken from her. "You're too weak to be carrying this; it'd crush you," Inuyasha told her, harshly.

By now Kagome knew that every time Inuyasha voiced his concern or worry, he always laced it with an insult. Sometimes he laced it so well that it was hard to read between the lines, but she always understood.

"Why, thank you," she said to him, bowing, "oh great, strong one who doesn't want me to get crushed." She stood up straight again and was rewarded with a chuckle from the half demon as she walked to the edge of the forest. She sat by a tree she was all too familiar with and smiled when Inuyasha sat next to her. In the past he would set the backpack between them as a defense, but now he always placed it on his opposite side.

She was glad of that.

It was peaceful to sit here as they were, looking down at the village and all the people working for their families. She knew Inuyasha liked it as well, even if he didn't admit it. She knew he liked just sitting next to her, enjoying the day. Despite all of his past insults and transgressions, she had found his actions speaking louder than his words, and became an expert at reading his body language. He was relaxed now, the corners of his tilted just slightly enough to hint at a smile, his ears drooping just a little.

He was saying, "I'm enjoying your company, your scent, and the peaceful day." It was that hinted smile that told her he was liking whatever it was he was smelling, the slight droop to his ears that told her today was a good day to be out, and the lack of tense muscles that told her he was comfortable by her side. Oh yes, she was an expert, all right.

Just now he noticed her gaze and frowned. "What?"

The frown, she thought. I'm making uncomfortable. Yep, he's tensing. . . "Nothing," she said, looking at the village again. "I'm just thinking about the nice day."

"Then why were you looking at me?"

"Because you say it all," she said, then covered her mouth. She had better think quickly to keep him from exploding. Looking at him, she explained, trying not to rush the words out. "I mean, you notice everything. I can tell what kind of a day it is by judging how. . .how alert you are," she finished, hoping she had used the correct words.

He blinked at her. "Alert," he repeated. He looked down at the village, and Kagome sighed. He wasn't going to explode. "Yeah, today's not so bad. The clouds don't hold much scent of rain, so it's going to be at least a few days before it rains. I don't smell any demons, either, and the animals in the forest are all moving. It's. . .calm." He tossed her a sideways glance. "And how often do you stare at me to get to notice how alert I am?"

Kagome's jaw clenched and she looked away. "Not so often," she lied. "I just notice a lot when I'm not thinking."

She thought he would have looked down at the village again, but she could still feel that he was looking at her. When she glanced at him through the corner of her eye, she noticed he was smirking. "What?" she asked sharply, sitting up straighter and looking back at him full-on.

"I'm just noticing how alert you are," he teased.

Kagome's jaw dropped and she stuttered. He didn't often play like this, and it always left her dumbfounded.

"See?" he said, pointing at her. "You're shocked, cause your mouth fell open. Your eyes are saying 'how dare you' and you don't know what to say, because you're all stiff." He smirked again and laughed. "You're not the only one who notices stuff when you're not thinking," he finished, turning everything she said on her.

"Inuyasha!" she got out, but wasn't sure what she was trying to imply with his name. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, looking sharply back at the village.

"You're angry at me cause you narrowed your eyes, angry at yourself for not thinking of something cause you crossed your arms, and want me to shut up because you're turning your attention on the village," Inuyasha continued, again analyzing her.

Kagome shot him a look that clearly told him to be quiet, but she found herself drawn into his game anyway. "Yeah? Well, you're feeling unnaturally playful cause your eyes have this sparkle! Plus you're leaning against the tree in arrogance, probably thinking that I can't retaliate well! And if that isn't enough, your ears just twitched! They only do that when you're impressed." She broke off there, realizing why he would be impressed.

His smirk hadn't left his face. "That's all right," he admitted, sitting up. "Was I right?" he asked, his voice dropping lower as though the qquestion and her answer were supposed to be a secret between them.

Kagome blushed and looked away, biting her lip. After a moment she smiled and nodded. "Didn't miss a detail," she admitted, glancing at him.

Inuyasha looked so proud of himself at that moment that Kagome nearly laughed. He beat her to it, chuckling and crossing his arms. It roused a laugh from her and she leaned back against her tree. This was probably the first time the two of them had played in such a way and not have it end as an arguement and a 'sitting'.

Knowing that the mood was both open and sensitive, she leaned against him, hoping he would accept her show of affection. It wasn't too long before she felt and heard him sigh. It was his sign of accepting her affections - and she was the only one she knew who had heard him make such a sound in this situation.

In fact, she was fairly certain she was the only woman who had ever leaned against him like this, or rubbed his ears, or ridden on his back.

It made her feel lucky.

The calm of the day reached her and worked gently, eventually lulling Kagome into a light sleep. She hadn't even noticed her eyes were closing until the light of day was shut out and everything became right in the world. She felt, even in her sleep, something brush against her waist and a weight laid upon her own head.

She didn't know it was Inuyasha's arm and head as he himself was pulled into sleep until she woke, warm and peaceful and - held down.

She blinked and wriggled, feeling out her position. Inuyasha's head was on her own, his left arm around her back and hand lightly grasping her skirt, his right arm more limp and hand holding onto her shoulder. It seemed odd to her until she realized that her feet had been moved so they lay just outside of Inuyasha's crossed legs. Her right hand held his FireRat haori while her left grasped the fabric of his left pant leg.

One glance at the sky told her they must have been that way for a long time, because the sun was nearly above their heads when they sat down but now it was dipping into the horizon. Kagome was about to wake the hanyou when he stirred slightly, murmuring something before pulling her closer into his embrace, causing her cheeks to flame.

What was he dreaming about?!

Kagome swallowed, nervous, and tried to pull back. She met with resistance and heard Inuyasha murmur again, his grip tightening just slightly.

"Inuyasha," she said, half hoping he would wake up and let her go, while her other half was hoping he would stay asleep so she could control her blood pressure in her cheeks. He murmured a third time and shook his head.

A moment later she nearly squealed, as she felt his nose against her neck as he nuzzled her, then inhaled deeply. If her face could get any redder. . .

"Inu-Inuyasha," she tried again, her voice starting to quiver. This was a dream. It had to be. Inuyasha had never nuzzled her before, or intentionally sniffed her unless she was hurt. Plus, this was too close, much too close, to being her best dream come true. Any moment now she was either going to wake up, or he was going to start kissing her neck. . .

This time he made a sound that was something like a groan, a sound that showed his reluctance to wake up. His hands clenched a little then loosened their grip, only to clench again. He shook his head again, then nuzzled her neck again - but this time with his mouth. Which, she noticed as her blush increased, was open. Not a second had passed when she felt him sniff again. And then she felt something that actually did make her squeal and shove him back instinctively - he licked her neck.

He yelped as he fell back. Kagome knew he was going to yell as soon as he became fully conscious, so she kept her hands up and her eyes tightly shut. She also kept her mouth closed.

"What was that for?!" he snapped.

She didn't move, but unintentionally whimpered.

She knew that got his attention before the sound had ended. Great. Now he was going to ask her what was wrong, and she'd start blushing again.

"Kagome?" His hands caught her own and pulled them down. "Hey! What's - why are your eyes closed? You're all tense. What happened?"

She whimpered again.

She could almost hear the cogs moving in his head as the pieces began making sense. She spoke up before he could figure it out.

"Inuyasha?" she said, blinking at him ad feigning sleepy eyes. "What time is it?"

She saw him glance at the horizon and took the few seconds it offered to lighten her blush. "Dinnertime," he said as he turned back to her. "Bout five."

She took a hand from his and rubbed her eyes. She forced a yawn. "Wow. I didn't know I could sleep si- up like that for so long," she said, barely catching herself from saying 'sitting'. She knew he'd understand.

"Were you having a nightmare?" he asked. "You're so tense."

She shook her head. "I don't think so." She shouldn't have said that. . . A nightmare would have been the perfect excuse.

"Then what's with all your stiff muscles?" he said, somewhat harshly. He moved partially behind her and rubbed at her neck.

Kagome nearly fainted from the blood rushing to her face. His thumb passed over the spot he'd licked her twice before he realized it was wet. It hadn't been a small, affectionate lick he'd given her - it was a wet, warm stroke, and his thumb was rubbing it into her skin. She buried her face in her hands before he could ask the question.

"Kagome. . .Why is your neck wet?"

She didn't even whimper this time, making sure to keep her tongue against the roof of her mouth and her vocal cords still. Instead she shook her head, 'reluctant' too mild a word for her feelings about admitting the lick.

She felt him lean forward to sniff the spot and shivered. "Inuyasha," she whispered accidentally, even as she felt him go still. He recognizes the smell as his own saliva, I know it. . .He's going to freak. . .

It took a few moments for him to move again. Even as she couldn't see him, she knew he shook his head and got up before he had done the movements. What she wasn't expecting was when he knelt down and took a hand from her face.

She looked shyly up at him and saw that he had her backpack over his shoulder already. The position he was in spoke volumes to her: He had decided it was time to go, but he was offering her the choice to stay here a bit longer. Still, his hand held hers, showing that he wanted her to come with him.

Kagome swallowed but got up. His hand fell away from her own as he made his way down the sloping hill, and she followed silently, trying not to say a word while trying doubly hard to get the blush off her face and force a pleasant smile for her friends. She had then both down by the time they made it to Kaede's hut.

Everybody was already sitting around a bubbling stew. Kagome took her place as Inuyasha set down her backpack and took his own seat beside her - but her backpack was between them. Yes, he definitely realized he had licked her. But as this had never happened befor, she couldn't tell if he was giving her time to come to terms with the shock, or if it left him feeling vulnerable and needed to protect himself. It might even be both, seeing as how he didn't look at her and kept the backpack between them.

If nothing else, this situaton was teaching her a few things about what he would do in a shocking situation between them.

Dinner was quiet for herself and Inuyasha, and at the end Kagome realized she'd only eaten half her bowl. Inuyasha hadn't faired much better with his ramen, but she could see him focusing on finishing it off. She was getting odd looks from everyone present, proving how strange her situation must seem as she glanced at Kohaku and saw he was confused. Even he knew how she and Inuyasha usually acted around one another, and that this wasn't it.

It was quite a while before she got to sleep that night.

The morning found her in better spirits, as she was awoken by Shippo repeatedly jumping on her thigh. She counted him doing it seven times, yalling her name with each jump, before the jumping stopped and Inuyasha's voice interrupted the kit's fun.

"Oi! Brat, let her sleep! You wouldn't somebody jumping on your leg when you're dead tired!"

"Sit," Kagome murmured, hearing the usually thud and groan as the spell activated. She sat up, stretched her arms and sighed. She glanced around for Inuyasha, finding him directly next to her - he must've been standing at her shoulder to have landed at he had, body parallel with her sleeping bag and perfectly alligned.

"Good morning, Shippo," she said to the kit, hugging him twice to apologize for the lump on his head.

"Inuyasha's mean to me," he complained, but Kagome just smiled.

"Like a big brother," she told him. "Loving one second, and proving who's alpha and beta the next."

"Hey!!" Inuyasha broke in, the spell releasing him so he could get up. He stood towering over her and pointed. "I'm no big brother, and I am not loving!! You have no idea what you're talking about!!" He huffed then, stuffing his arms into his sleeves and turning his back. "Stupid woman."

Kagome rolled her eyes and stood up, stretching again. A low, soft moan vibrated her throat for a moment and she itched her stomach where her shirt tickled her. A yawn soon followed. She rubbed her face. "What time is it?"

"Feh, always asking the time," Inuyasha muttered. He glared at her. "It's time to get up!!"

"Just a moment ago wasn't it time to let me sleep?" she returned smoothly.

Inuyasha opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. He turned his back again. "Stupid woman."

"Sit," she ordered, allowing herself a satisfied smile when he groaned. She crouched next to him to rub his ears. "You should be happy, you know. You said that twice, so you deserve two," she told him.

He muttered something none-to-nice into the floor.

With a laugh Kagome stood again and stepped outside. She would wait a short while and then return to her time, to inform Mama and Souta and Grandpa of the plans to go searching for holy men and women to pray for the Jewel.

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End chapter one. To be continued.