InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Good Enough to Eat... ❯ Citrus ( Chapter 3 )

You're on a role, CR! That's like… basically one update a day, give or take a few hours here and there.

 

I know, right?

 

So… how's Sangria coming along? There are a lot of people waiting for the next installment…

 

O_o Uhhhh… it's goin… well.

 

Slacker!

 

Hey, gimmi a break! One chapter of that story is like four times as long as one of these installments!

 

Excuses, excuses… Get it done, you negligent little terd!

 

I will, so don't - did you just call me a terd?

 

Yes.

 

That was mean…

 

I wouldn't have to be mean if you would quit slacking off and get the next chapter of Sangria posted.

 

Fine, fine…meanie…

 

*****

 

And that, ladies and gents, is what you get when an author has been awake for forty-eight straight hours. My son is teething, and has not been letting me get any sleep during the night. When he does nap during the day… my daughter makes sure to keep me very occupied. Ugh… running solely on caffeine, by this point. But the updates are still coming, that's a plus!

 

Also, despite the odd little conversation I just had with myself, I am working on Sangria as we speak. I do little bits and pieces as they come to me, but I refuse to force myself to write to meet a deadline. Every time I've tried that I was thoroughly dissatisfied with the result and ended up rewriting it anyway. However, I've got about half of the next chapter done, so I'm hoping it won't be too much longer.

 

That aside, I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful support and the ridiculous amount of reviews that have been coming in. Love, love, love!!

 

……………

 

Citrus

 

Dry days weren't exactly fun, in Kagome's opinion, but she definitely preferred them to humid days. When it was dry, they still had the option of cooling off in the shade… but when it was humid, not even that provided complete relief.

 

Their travels during this time were unpleasant, despite the relative quiet that accompanied it. Seemed as though even most lesser demons were affected by this weather… so that was one positive. Yet, when weighed against so many negatives, it was easy to overlook the fact.

 

These sorts of days even started poorly for the young priestess. Waking up and having to peel ones self from their bedding was never a good way to start the day, so it was fair to say that she was a trifle snippy on days like this. Having to go about one's business with their garments clinging to them like a second skin was not all that wonderful either.

 

On top of being sweaty, dehydrated, and tired, Kagome had another problem. She, unlike the vast majority of women in this time, did not have fine, straight hair. It was fine, mind you, but she had a lot of it, and it was wavy. Thick, wavy hair plus humidity equaled… one awful, frizzy mess.

 

Kagome considered herself a relatively modest woman. She never bothered with makeup or perfume or fancy clothing. She was a simplistic girl, always had been. However, despite her lack of vanity, there was one thing she really couldn't stand. Big… poofy… hair. She hated it!

 

Aside from being heavy and clinging to her neck, it made her look like an absolute basket case… and she got enough stares as it was. She really didn't want to attract more attention by walking around with something that resembled a dead animal on her head. Even her trusty ponytail could not overcome this daunting obstacle.

 

That being said… the miko was ready to bring out the big guns. Burrowing through her many belongings, the girl from the future gave a little hoot of triumph when she came across the brightly colored bottle of spray she'd been looking for. The anti-frizz detangling spray worked better than anything Kagome had ever tried… and she'd tested out quite a few different products. It cost a pretty penny, certainly, but the extra cash was worth the results.

 

Giving the bottle a little shake, Kagome pushed the plunger a few times; just enough to lightly mist the thick mass of her hair. She sighed when the mild, citrusy aroma filled her nostrils. On top working like a charm, it smelled absolutely divine. Tangerine had always been one of her favorite scents.

 

Pulling a brush from one of the zipped pouches on the front of her bag, she smoothed out the once unsightly bush of tangles, grinning victoriously when she felt it settle nicely into place.

 

She did all of this while walking, the task distracting her from keeping her eyes on the road. She did not notice that the rest of the group had stopped until she nearly ploughed into Miroku's back.

 

“What's going on?” she asked him as she took in everyone's stiff posture.

 

“There is a demon, but we don't yet know if it's coming this way or simply passing by,” he responded softly, his features apprehensive.

 

Suddenly, Inuyasha unsheathed the massive fang at his hip and crouched low, shouting back to them, “Here it comes!”

 

Years of practice had made the motions second nature, and in under a second there was an arrow in her hand, bow shifted from her shoulder and into her other fist. Nocking the slender projectile, Kagome lifted her weapon into a ready position and stood poised, waiting for the beast to appear.

 

It did not take long for the thing to reach them once it felt the pull of the shards, barreling through the forest at top speeds.

 

The youkai was fast, if nothing else. Spindly legs ate up the distance between them in a heartbeat, and it sprung from the foliage with a screech. While it appeared to have little in terms of power, its thin, numerous legs made it nimble, much like the arachnid brethren it closely resembled. It dodged and leapt and charged all within the span of a couple of seconds, making the confrontation a bit more difficult than they had surmised it would be.

 

The heat only made them tire faster, everyone - save the hanyou - panting within the course of a few minutes. The many-eyed demon was slowing as well, and Inuyasha took the opportunity to jump in and level a powerful punch to the thing's hairy abdomen.

 

It flew backward with a pained yowl… straight toward Kagome.

 

Said miko went wide eyed as the beast hurdled toward her like a freight train; she knew in an instant that she wouldn't be able to get out of the way fast enough. The only thing she could think at the moment was that she hoped there would be enough of her left to scrape off the ground and piece back together again once this was through.

 

The world flew by in a blur of color, and suddenly she was not longer on the ground. Instead, she found herself looking down at the scene and watching the spider demon crash into the ground where she had been standing a second ago, sending a spray of gravel and a cloud of dust into the air.

 

`Am I dead?' she wondered. `Hmm… a spider squashed me… what a way to go.'

 

Then she realized there was an arm around her middle, and something rather hard at her back. Glancing up over her shoulder, she wasn't all that surprised to see Sesshomaru returning her gaze.

 

Once Inuyasha had finished the lesser demon off, he landed soundlessly with her still in his arm, quirking a brow as he asked, “Are you capable of staying out of trouble for even a few days, miko?”

 

She couldn't help but laugh at the question. Shaking her head, she gave a little shrug and answered, “Disaster and I sort of go hand in hand, I guess.”

 

She heard the small, noncommittal `hn' only a second or so before his eyes lightened with a familiar curiosity. Honestly, she had been expecting it… she had just doused her hair in tangerine de-frizz spray.

 

Sighing, she awaited his inquisitive sniffing and prepared an explanation, knowing he would likely want to know what it was he was smelling.

 

However, where she had been anticipating something similar to their previous encounters, what he did next almost made her faint from shock. Instead of sniffing discretely, he practically buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply, releasing a soft, satisfied noise as he exhaled. He continued his vigorous exploration of the new smell, not caring that the others around them were all staring and slack jawed. The miko receiving his attention was wearing a similar expression, eyes wide as the big male behind her began running his fingers through her hair.

 

They all remained that way for a good, long while, the awkward silence not bothering the daiyoukai in the least. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of his intimate, unexpected actions, he released the girl and righted himself.

 

Kagome took a leaping step away from him and spun around, gazing up at his handsome face with astonishment and confusion. If she had thought his actions odd before, she was now certain that she'd been thrust into some kind of parallel universe where everyone acted totally out of sorts. Had she not been so busy gawking at Sesshomaru, she would have turned to make sure Sango wasn't groping Miroku's backside.

 

His expression was as calm as ever, as though he hadn't just thoroughly molested her hair. The young miko couldn't even muster up enough composure to utter an unintelligible `uh'; her face flushed a bright crimson from her most recent encounter with Inuyasha's ruthless older sibling.

 

Then, to her horror - or was it morbid fascination? - the large inu demon tilted his head ever so slightly and gave her a long, appraising once over. When his golden eyes finally reached her steely blue ones, a tinsel brow quirked, along with the corner of his mouth.

 

Kagome's throat suddenly went dry, her knees beginning to quiver. She was not certain how to react to his behavior, and being on the receiving end of such a look was making her feel funny. There was something in those deep, bullion eyes that made her feel very nervous… and slightly flustered. It was almost like… approval? What did it mean?

 

Inuyasha was the first one to break the stretched silence.

 

“What the hell is this all about, bastard?! Are you following us?!” he demanded gruffly.

 

The appreciative look vanished from his eyes as they narrowed and shifted toward the fuming hanyou. “Need I remind you that these are my lands, Inuyasha? This one was under the impression that you were aware… or is your half-breed brain truly so pitiful that you forgot?”

 

A snarl was his response, and the brazen, younger male marched up to his brother and placed himself between the daiyoukai and Kagome. “You didn't answer my question!” he snapped.

 

He almost sighed, but instead chose to scowl more deeply. The stupid cur was beginning to get on his last nerve. “I assure you, whelp, this one is not following your group. That our paths cross from time to time is merely an unfortunate, though expected, coincidence.”

 

Inuyasha scowled. He could understand that much, he supposed, but that did not explain why Sesshomaru had been getting all touchy-feely with his miko friend the last few times they'd met up.

 

“So then why do you keep putting your paws all over Kagome?” he continued, ignoring the embarrassed gasp he heard at his back.

 

Sesshomaru didn't miss a beat. “My reasons are my own, hanyou. However, if you were capable of providing the miko with sufficient protection, this one would not have to interfere nearly as much. Had I not intervened, the wench would be dead twice over.”

 

Not particularly liking the jibe at his ability to protect his pack-mates, Inuyasha made ready to unsheathe his sword when a soft, gentle hand settled on his shoulder. He looked back at Kagome, who had a tired, somewhat frazzled look on her face.

 

“Please don't do this. Let's just move on, okay?”

 

“You want me to walk away again?! I ain't some kind of weakling, y'know? I can handle myself just fine!” he barked, displeased at her seeming lack of faith in him.

 

She gave a half-smile and assured him, “I know you can, Inu, you've proven as much time and again over these past few years. But we're all really tired right now, and just want to settle somewhere so that we can make camp.”

 

He huffed when she pulled out her trump card - the damnable puppy-dog eyes - and conceded with a terse nod and a bark for them to carry on.

 

Relieved that yet another pointless confrontation had been avoided, the young woman shot one last look at Sesshomaru and trotted off after her hanyou companion. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her back as she went, not entirely certain what had transpired between them just moments ago. Whatever it was, her poor, overworked brain was immensely confused.

 

That look he'd given her sent shivers racing up and down her spine. Yet, while his reactions to her scent were perplexing, even more confusing was her body's own response. His attention made her feel warm and tingly in places she'd rather not discuss. This whole thing was beginning to get a little out of control.

 

……………

 

Ohhh my goodness. It looks like Kagome's got her hands full with this one. Little does she know that things are about to get even more out of control.

 

Reviews are nice…