InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Exigency ❯ Chapter 2

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Author's Notes: I've never written Inuyasha before, so I
don't know the proper Japanese used in the anime. It's also
been a long time since I watched the anime, so don't be
surprised if my characterizations are off. I'm writing them
the way I picture them, not necessarily the way they're shown
in the anime (since the circumstances are different).
Category: Anime, Yaoi, Inuyasha, TWT
Warnings: shonen ai, possible humor
Pairings: InuyashaxMiroku
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina(a)hotmail.com
Website / Complete Archive: www.geocities.com / arigatomina

Exigency

Part 2

He faked sleep for as long as he could, listening to the
sounds as the other two moved around below. Even with his
eyes closed he could keep tabs on them both, his demon nature
back in full force. That made it very uncomfortable, though,
trying to sit still when his body was thrumming with
impatience. They hadn't been active for very long. Every
minute just seemed to last for hours, the sound of Shippou
making conversation in that high voice of his twitching
Inuyasha's perked ears. He was sure the dumb fox was being
noisy on purpose, trying to goad him into coming down. They
had to know he wasn't really still sleeping, not with that
sort of noise. But so long as he stayed in the tree, eyes
closed, Miroku wouldn't say a word to him. That was the idea,
to stay close without inviting conversation or the eye contact
he'd have to make if he talked to them. The bit of smoke from
the small fire they were cooking over masked their scents, so
there was some benefit to being above.

Loud laughter rang out a few feet from him, his teeth gnashing
in a wave of frustration. Why did they have to be in such a
good, vocal, mood? And where did that stupid kit get off
talking about him as if he weren't eight feet away, perfectly
capable of hearing every damn word the runt said? His voice
did not sound like that. He'd never sound so breathy and
stupid. A pause of quiet, and he sneered as Shippou continued
the impression, reenacting the last fight he'd had with
Kagome. At least the fox had her voice down, with that
annoyingly high pitch of his.

"Osuwari!"

White ears flew back and Shippou fell onto his backside,
laughing wildly at Inuyasha's wide eyes. The hanyou had
jerked upright at the word, his hair practically standing on
end. "You should see your face! As white as your hair!"
Arms wrapped around his belly, he shook his head up at the
hanyou, not caring one bit that Inuyasha was now growling at
him. "I'll do that for Kagome when she comes back," he
taunted. "She'll love it!"

"You think that's funny?" Inuyasha growled, his hands
clenching against the limb he was on, claws digging into the
bark. Blood pounded in his ears, a hazy image of one mangled
fox kit filling his sight. "I'll show you funny..."

"Big bad hanyou," Shippou called, sticking his tongue out at
the demon. "Afraid of one little word!" That rumbling growl
grew louder and he tensed, ready to bolt if Inuyasha took him
up on the challenge. As fast as the hanyou was, there were
plenty of little holes nearby that he could hide in. Then he
could taunt him all day while Inuyasha howled in frustration.
"Osuwari! Osuwari! Sit boy!"

A rough splintering sounded and Miroku winced as bits of wood
fell down from where Inuyasha was crouched in the tree.
"That's enough," he called, shaking his head at the little
fox. He couldn't help but smile at how easy Inuyasha was to
rile, but as long as the hanyou had feigned sleep, he was
obviously still upset about whatever had driven him off last
night. Shippou hadn't noticed when Inuyasha had taken off, so
he didn't know any better. Miroku stood, brushing a bit of
dirt off his dark robes before tilting his head to look up at
the growling hanyou. "He's just bored," he shrugged, his tone
just a little placating. "You know how he gets when Kagome's
gone all day."

Pale gold eyes snapped to him and that menacing sound was cut
off mid-growl. Miroku blinked in surprise. Inuyasha looked
startled, as if he hadn't realized he was there. But of
course he had to have known, Shippou had just distracted him.
Waving a hand at the little fire, Miroku smiled. "Want to
come down and eat? The day's half over, so Kagome should be
back soon if she's not waiting till tomorrow. Kaede-san
dropped off some vegetables, though, so it's a regular meal."
He looked down, smirking at the look of disgust on Shippou's
face. "They're good for you. You can't just run around
eating the snacks Kagome brings."

"They taste better," Shippou pouted, scowling over at Miroku.
"And you never complain about eating it. You eat as much of
it as I do!"

"Right," Miroku said, giving the kit a wide smile. "And I eat
real food, too. So eat your vegetables and be grateful
Kaede-san was nice enough to bring some for us."

"Don't act all mature," Shippou grumbled, stalking over to sit
by the smoldering fire. "You get boring when Kagome leaves."
He tossed a taunting look back at Inuyasha. "But not as
boring as you, dog boy!" That insult was too half-hearted to
work and he knew it. Inuyasha didn't so much as twitch.
Shippou deflated, pouting into the fire. "I miss Kagome..."
A wrinkled brown thing entered his vision, the sharp point of
the stick just visible from where it was skewered, and Shippou
groaned. "And I miss her food...!"

"Just eat the potato," Miroku said, rolling his eyes. "It's
made of the same thing her chips are - it's just not hard."

"Or good tasting!"

"Or salty," Miroku agreed.

The two started eating, Shippou picking tiny bites and
grimacing all the way through each swallow. Inuyasha watched
them with an unusual mixture of irritation and wariness. That
anger had broken the moment he looked at Miroku, but having
the human turn away and ignore him brought something just as
bad. If he didn't know any better, he'd call it jealousy.
They were acting so casual...and happy. And he wanted nothing
more than to strangle the fox and drag Miroku off to teach him
who he was supposed to be paying attention to. The thought
brought a furious flush to his face as all sorts of images
sprang to mind - and they weren't featuring the fox kit.
Shaking his head roughly, he forced his hands to unclench from
where they'd dug into the tree limb.

He could handle this. Miroku was right there, and he hadn't
done anything unusual. The fact that they were acting normal
proved he was in control. All he had to do was ignore them.

"Are you coming down or not?"

Inuyasha straightened, wary eyes shifting over to find Miroku
frowning back at him. Shippou was still nibbling on his food,
but the kit's tail was flicking in a way that warned him if he
didn't say something the fox would start taunting him again.
And as much as he liked the idea of finally shutting the brat
up, he didn't want to kill him. He was annoying as hell, but
he was still just a kit. "No," Inuyasha said. He sniffed and
resumed his reclining position on the limb, closing his eyes.

"You're not hungry?" Miroku's eyes widened at the thought and
he shared a worried look with Shippou. While he wasn't
exactly a pig, Inuyasha was a very healthy eater. And he
wasn't nearly as picky as Shippou when it came to what he was
eating. "You aren't sick, are you?" One pale eye flicked
open to glower at him, and Miroku gave a slow smirk. "I
didn't think demons got sick," he commented. "Maybe you
should go see Kaede-san. Or I can get her if you're too sick
to move. I'm sure she could mix up something for you."

"I'll go," Shippou volunteered, his little fluffy orange tail
flicking happily as he smirked up at Inuyasha. His words were
directed at Miroku, but he kept taunting eyes on the irritable
demon in the tree. "You'd better stay and protect the
dog-boy. Can't leave the poor wittle hanyou all by himself
when he's sick."

"Oh, shut up," Inuyasha snapped, glaring daggers at the fox.
"Before I come down there and strangle you with your tail."

Shippou blinked big eyes, turning to glance at his bushy tail.
He waved it a bit, then sniffed back at Inuyasha. "Shows what
you know," he taunted. "It's not long enough!"

A soft sound reached his ears, and Inuyasha glowered at the
way Miroku was smothering a bit of laughter. They obviously
weren't going to leave him alone now that he'd blown his
pretense of sleep. And he had to admit, the smell of the food
was making his stomach twist on itself. He rolled his eyes
and pushed himself off the limb. "It would be long enough
after I rip it off," he warned, glaring at Shippou as he
stalked over to them. The little fox paled, and he nodded
sharply at him. "Just keep it up and I'll show you."

It was strange sitting near someone, but oddly enough Shippou
wasn't effecting him now that he was quiet. He usually
avoided people when exigency hit him, so he was surprised to
learn that not everyone would become an instant target just
from being near him. That didn't change the feelings that
swamped him when he glanced over at Miroku. He shouldn't have
sat between the two of them, shouldn't have sat on the same
side of the fire, shouldn't have come so damn close. And he
definitely shouldn't have waited instead of snatching up
something to eat the moment he sat down. His friend was
holding out one of the skewered potatoes, his scent somehow
stronger than the food.

He smelled like the tree Inuyasha had just come from,
naturally so, since they both rested in it more often than
not. He smelled like the soap he'd used last night, a hint of
the spring water lingering in that dark blue glove that was
never removed. He smelled like the fox, just enough that
Inuyasha wanted to smack the kit for hanging so close. Mostly
he just smelled like Miroku, something Inuyasha had taken for
granted since the day they met. There was nothing in that
scent to explain why he wanted to bury his face against the
human and just breathe it in.

Snatching the offered food, Inuyasha fumed at his stupid
thoughts. He felt as if he'd paused for hours, but Miroku
turned away so casually he knew the encounter had only lasted
seconds. It was as his friend's back was turned that another
addition to the mix of scents reached him.

Miroku smelled like wolf.

Hands closed over his shoulders, and Miroku froze as something
snuffled against the back of his neck. "W-what...?"

"He's smelling you," Shippou said helpfully, laughing at how
startled Miroku looked. He moved to the side, looking
curiously up Inuyasha. "What do you smell on him?"

That warm breath made sense now, but Miroku remained tense,
his expression more than a little wary. He didn't turn his
head, but his eyes flicked as far to the side as possible.
"Inuyasha...? W-why are you smelling me...?"

"Is he a fake?" Shippou demanded, his eyes gleaming excitedly
at the possibility. "Come on, tell me! Does he smell like
spider? Well?"

A huff met his ear and Miroku ducked his head, a blush
swamping his cheeks. "Okay," he said, his voice strained as
he tried to stay calm. "Stop it already. That's really
uncomfortable. I know you canine demons have a great sense of
smell, but I can't stand having someone breathe down my-" Wet
heat lapped across the scratches on the back of his neck and
Miroku bit off his words, wincing at the pressure on the fresh
cuts. He leaned forward, meaning to pull away, but the grip
tightened on his shoulders, holding him in place. Any humor
at the odd situation waned. "Let go..."

Shippou tilted his head to the side, frowning up at the two of
them, but mostly at Inuyasha. The hanyou seemed completely
oblivious to the questions he'd asked, and now he was... "Why
are you doing that? Hey. Hey! I'm talking to you, dog-boy!
Are you ignoring me?!"

The little fox demon was throwing an official tantrum, but
Miroku barely heard him. He'd tried to pull away again and
Inuyasha's hands had tightened painfully enough to bruise,
claws just starting to make themselves known through his robe.
Eyebrow twitching at the situation, Miroku tilted his head
back, efficiently blocking the hanyou from his obvious target
point. "I told you to stop," he said sharply, "so if you cut
me with those claws of yours, I'll never forgive you." The
hands on his shoulders loosened immediately, and he turned to
stare in reproach. Inuyasha's face was very pale, and he
looked as shocked as Miroku had been when the hanyou first
grabbed him. "What's wrong with you...? Why did you-"

Jolting back, Inuyasha felt his face burn as he stumbled to
his feet. Shippou was yelling something, but he couldn't hear
any more than a high pitched background noise. He could still
smell it, and the taste of Miroku's skin was muddling his
senses to the point where those two were all he could make
out. He hadn't thought. Those scratches had served as a
brand, marking his target - his target - with the smell of a
wolf. He'd had to act, had to replace that scent with his
own. Only...

"Inuyasha...?"

"Infection," Inuyasha blurted, his face burning hotter at the
bold lie. Miroku was staring at him as if he didn't know
whether to be afraid or angry and he wanted to dig a hole in
the ground and bury his head in it. An osuwari right now
would have been well deserved, and appreciated. "The cut," he
mumbled, "it smelled like - so I had to - counter that - it's
nothing." His wide eyes felt cold amid his hot face, and he
hid his clenched hands behind his back. He'd nearly cut
Miroku. The human had been right about that. His first
instinct was to clear the scent off those scratches, but
second to that was to make his own mark. And he hadn't
thought - no time to control himself, his instinct had acted
before he realized what he was doing. Only...only that scent
remained. Now that he'd recognized it, he couldn't smell
anything but it. Miroku was covered in foreign canine scent
and he couldn't allow that. He had to do something...had
to...

Sharp pain spiked in his right calf and Inuyasha jumped,
barking out a loud curse. He fell before he realized there
was a mini rabid fox attached to his leg, little teeth buried
near his ankle. And rather than shake him off, he closed his
eyes and just felt that sharp, gnawing pain. What the hell
was he thinking? Or rather, why the hell wasn't he thinking?
Now he knew why demons marked their targets, and why targets
tended to end up dead even if they survived the first attack.
He might have wanted to jump Miroku last night, but knowing
that another had already tried made the urge much, much worse.
There was no way Miroku smelled as much like wolf as his nose
was telling him. He was still in control. He was. He'd just
slipped for a second. He'd slipped long enough to know that
Miroku tasted like warm spring water and apple.

How could a human taste like apple?

"Let go! Shippou! He's bleeding. Do you want to explain to
Kagome why you took a chunk out of his leg?"

That voice cut through his thoughts, and Inuyasha blinked down
at the fox who was still chewing on his leg. The sight of
small tooth marks and scrapes through the torn cloth of his
pants brought him back to the very thing he'd wanted to
forget. Miroku was crouched over him, tugging on the stubborn
fox, and his eyes locked on those red cuts. They were still
damp. Did they carry his scent now? He couldn't tell,
couldn't recognize his own scent. But that wolf smell
remained. So close...

Shippou came free with a furious jerk, and Miroku reeled back,
landing with the fox in his lap. Heaving a sigh, he shook his
head at the angry kit. "Remind me never to ignore you," he
muttered.

"Stupid Inuyasha! I'm telling Kagome you were being stupid!"
Shippou growled, struggling a bit in Miroku's firm hold.
"Why'd you lick him, anyway? He doesn't smell like Naraku.
You're just so dumb your nose don't work."

Inuyasha was sitting up, looking at them with a wary
expression. Miroku felt about the same. That excuse about an
infection was incredibly dumb, even for a split second lie.
Only it made more sense than any other reason Miroku wanted to
think about. He shook his head again, tearing his eyes away
so he could frown down at Shippou. "He never said I smelled
like Naraku." The fox kit scowled at him, but he did cease
that struggling.

"You do smell funny," Shippou admitted. "But it's not spider.
I don't know what it is. And you smell more like him than
anything." He jerked his head toward Inuyasha. The hanyou
flinched, and he blinked over at him, curious about the way
those pale gold eyes widened.

"He smells like me?" Inuyasha asked. The fox glared at him,
and he curled his hands, forcing himself not to beat an answer
out of the kit. "No, he doesn't," he said instead. "You
don't have a sense of smell."

Shippou bristled, growling back at the demon. "He does so!
He's had your stink since you guys were in that acid thing. I
was just too nice to say anything about it." He turned back,
shrugging at Miroku. "It's not your fault he stinks. But you
smell a lot worse now that you have dog spit on you. You
should rub some dirt on it, or maybe fruit. That would help.
You smell like his mouth."

Miroku felt his cheeks heat up, but he couldn't help the smile
that curved his lips when he glanced over to find Inuyasha
looking just as uncomfortable. "So...does that mean Inuyasha
smells like your mouth now, Shippou?" The fox paled, sending
a wide-eyed look over at Inuyasha.

Sniffing at his pants, Inuyasha bristled. "Ew..."

It wasn't just the way he said it, it was the way the hanyou's
ears flattened back against his hair. Miroku snickered.
"Okay, guys. I'm going to go wash off my neck - Inuyasha,
rinse that off and maybe Kagome will patch your pants when she
comes back." He stood with a wide smirk, holding Shippou when
the fox started to squirm free. "Oh, no. You're washing your
face. Do you really want Kagome to see you with Inuyasha's
blood on your mouth?"

Shippou's eyes widened in horror, and a hint of distress.
"No! Are you really going to tell her I bit him? He deserved
it. He was being weird, grabbing you like that. And he was
trying to bite you, wasn't he?" That idea stuck and he
fluffed up a bit, lifting his chin. "I was protecting you."

"Right," Miroku drawled, sending a teasing look back at
Inuyasha, who was still seated where he'd fallen. "So let's
just keep this little incident among the three of us. There's
no need to concern Kagome about it."

"And she'd be mad at Inuyasha, too," Shippou sniffed, nodding
firmly. "He can't bite you when he won't even kiss her.
That's not right."

Growling at the light laughter that trailed back to him,
Inuyasha fumed. Kagome. How was he supposed to act around her
now? He couldn't deal with her and that damn scent at the
same time. And the scent - Miroku did smell like him, had
since they'd been in the coccoon together. No wonder the wolf
pack had attacked Miroku - he'd probably smelled of Inuyasha's
blood. As insane as the scent of wolf was to him, he was sure
the pack had felt the same about his own scent. And there was
his friend, in the middle, completely oblivious. Only he
probably wasn't so oblivious now that he'd been licked.
Inuyasha's face burned furiously and he cursed again, shoving
to his feet. Stupid apple flavored monk.

Inuyasha didn't even like apples.

- - -
TBC
--notes--
Next (and last) part will contain angst, shonen ai, and lime
content.