InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome Smells ❯ Kagome Smells - Shippo's Lumps ( Chapter 30 )

Kagome Smells - Shippo's Lumps

By Majicman55

 

Disclaimer: The characters from “InuYasha” are not mine; they are the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I do not benefit financially from these writings. I just like to play with the characters.

 

 

Byakuya looked down from the enlarged origami crane in which he was flying over InuYasha's Forest, and scowled. A village had just come into view, and he knew the well Naraku had commanded him to watch was just beyond it. But why would Naraku have him do such a thing? “I have been ordered to watch a hole in the ground.” His shoulders sagged.

 

He was not happy.

 

Yet Byakuya was smart enough not to gainsay his master. He had considered destroying Naraku when the evil hanyou's Saimyoushou had recovered only enough remnants to restore him in midget form. “WHY didn't I do it then?” But now that the evil hanyou had returned to his former size, and almost to his former power, he had dismissed the thought…for the time being. He had no desire to wind up like the wind sorceress.

 

Not that Kana's fate had been much better.

 

No, Naraku's servants had a habit of dying…and going against their master's wishes only hastened the process.

 

Byakuya spotted the well and the paper crane shot up into the air till it would be only a speck to the sharpest youkai eye. And smelling him all the way up where he was? That would be nigh impossible.

 

With a look of extreme ennui on his face, Byakuya settled down for an extended vigil. “A hole in the ground, indeed.”

 

 

******************

 

 

Kagome regarded Shippo as she finished the stew Kaede had given her. She hadn't been able to spend much time with her adopted son recently…mostly because, with all the “adult” things going on, she felt she couldn't really take the kitsune with them. After regarding the young fox youkai for a long minute, she suddenly realized she had a craving for, of all things, liver. She shuddered, quickly opened a plastic bottle she kept handy, and downed one of the pills.

 

“What's that your swallowing, Kagome?”

 

She fumbled with the lid and dropped it…and watched as it, of course, immediately rolled into the most inaccessible spot. “Be a dear and get that for me, Shippo.” She watched the fox youkai scramble after the errant lid and sighed as she remembered how InuYasha had assured her that, even with her cravings, she probably wouldn't eat a member of her own “pack.” She wasn't taking any chances, though. She smiled when Shippo proudly brought her the recovered lid and proudly held it out to her. She managed a warm smile as she accepted the recovered item. “It's a pre-natal vitamin.”

 

“Are they some new kind of candy, Kagome?”

 

“They're not candy.”

 

The little fox youkai pawed and sniffed at the container. “Doesn't smell like candy. Smells like some of Kaede's yucky old herbs.”

 

“That's right, Shippo. They're like medicine.” Kagome took the screwed the plastic lid back on the bottle. “When a girl wants to have a baby, she takes these.”

 

The fox youkai had slipped one of the pills out of the bottle and was examining it closely. “There's a baby in here?”

 

“Well, no…”

 

Miroku joined Kagome and Shippo and sat down to eat his own bowl of stew. “No, Shippo. Kagome means the pills are just like medicine, only they are to prevent problems rather than to cure an illness once it is already here.”

 

Kagome just stared at the monk as InuYasha joined the party, for once carrying a bowl of stew. “Coming from a guy who this morning thought the pills would replace him in creating children…”

 

“InuYasha!”

 

InuYasha's attention snapped to his mate. “What?” The hanyou watched as Kagome kept shrugging one shoulder repeatedly, apparently trying to point out something about Shippo. “What are you going on about?” Fortunately, the hanyou had shown rare foresight in setting his bowl of hot stew off to one side before raising his voice.

 

“Ohhh…osuwari!”

 

<WHAM>

 

“Grrrrrr. Why'd you have to…?”

“Don't talk like that in front of Shippo! He's still a child.”

 

Sango joined the group, sitting beside Miroku. That InuYasha was currently in a small crater was hardly a surprise to her, although it hadn't happened for a while this time. Secretly she wondered what would happen when Kagome delivered their babies. Other mothers would only curse at their mates through the pain. She shook her head to rid herself of the image. “What did InuYasha say this time?”

 

The monk barely turned. “He was making inappropriate remarks in front of Shippo.”

 

“Oi! I was reminding the monk that only this morning he thought those pills of Kagome's would replace him in knocking you…”

“OSUWARI!”

 

<WHAM>

 

A string of muffled curses came from the crater.

 

“Are you guys talking about sex?”

 

All eyes turned to Shippo.

 

“'Cause, first of all, I can smell that Kagome has four pups inside her, and Sango has two.” Shippo puffed himself up. “And besides, I know all about sex.”

 

Kagome stared at the small kitsune. “You do?”

 

“The ol' in and out, bumping bellies, doing the nasty, planting…”

 

“Shippo!”

 

“…your seed, the horizontal kabuki, putting…”

 

Sango was turning red while Miroku was having a small coughing fit. “That's <cough> enough, Shippo.”

 

“…the bee in the hive.”

 

“Oi. What was that?” InuYasha was climbing out of his crater. “Kagome's mom was having trouble with bees.”

 

“Oh?” The monk turned to the young miko. “I have some excellent wards against bees and bee youkai, if you need them.”

 

Kagome was blushing. “That won't be necessary.” Kagome turned to Shippo. “Where'd you learn all those…terms?”

 

“Different villages.” The small fox youkai turned serious. “Besides, mom and dad told me where I came from.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Mom and dad were almost as bad as you and InuYasha.” Lost in thought, Shippo missed the fact that his adoptive mother was now beet red. “Although mama didn't scream like you do.”

 

“Oi…Shippo.”

 

The kitsune slowly turned around, only to go wide-eyed when he found an angry hanyou looming over him. “Ka-go-meeeee! InuYasha's gonna hit me!”

 

Unfortunately for Shippo, all Kagome could do was stare at the ground, completely mortified.

 

 

******************

 

 

“Don't ye worry about Shippo, Kagome,” said Kaede. “Once he wakes up, I'll keep him so busy he won't have time to think of ye.”

 

Kagome gave the elder miko a small bow of respect. “Thank you, Kaede.” She shot one last worried look towards the sleeping kitsune. “Poor kid.”

 

InuYasha stuck his head through Kaede's door. “Comin'?”

 

“You didn't have to geve him so many lumps, you know.”

 

“He's a youkai. He'll be fine by dinnertime. Now, come on!”

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

Above them, a lone Saimyoushou waited, ready to follow them wherever they went.

 

 

******************

 

 

The small bat youkai grew tired of trying to hover outside the shouji that led to Kikyo's room. First of all, it wasn't natural for a bat to fly in place for more than a few seconds. Second, judging from the sounds and scents emanating from the room, the miko might be a while.

 

The servant sighed and settled to earth, changing into his non-bat form. Unfortunately, being a lesser youkai, his non-bat form was a diminutive creature resembling a large field mouse that happened to walk on two legs. The creature sighed again, padded over to the screen, turned around and sat against it to wait for the sounds of pleasure within to abate.

 

Every so often he made a half-hearted attempt to gain the miko's attention by scratching at the shouji. The only reason he didn't become more insistent was that he knew his master would be delighted at how far a supposedly pure miko had sunk into her own depravity. And from what he could detect from within that room, she had sunk pretty far.

 

Secretly, he was impressed by her stamina.

 

After several more minutes, he decided things had gone on long enough. Besides, it had turned quiet momentarily He stood up and scratched vigorously at the door.

 

Soon his efforts were rewarded as he heard footsteps approaching from the other side. He looked up as the shouji slid to the side and a disheveled Kikyo peered out.

 

“Who's there?”

 

The small youkai slapped himself in the forehead. Of course she didn't seem him. He was only a few inches tall. “I am down here, Lady Kikyo!”

 

Unfortunately, coming from a creature so small and mouse-like, this sounded like “squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak, squeaky-squeak!”

 

Kikyo looked down…and screamed, “A mouse!”

 

The servant began backing away as the miko retreated into her room, returning moments later with her bow and nocked arrow.

 

That was enough for him. With one more squeak, he turned and started running as fast as his little feet would carry him.

 

Kikyo's hamaya narrowly missed impaling him, instead nicking one of his ears. At least he presented a small target! He continued to flee, knowing that the miko would waste no time in nocking another arrow.

 

Sure enough, another hamaya whizzed by. By this time, however, the servant had managed to collect himself and turned back into his bat youkai form. Grumbling about not being paid enough to put up with this abuse, he returned to flutter before the miko, who still kept a bead on him with her bow and arrow.

 

“Wh-What do you want?”

 

The small bat youkai looked her in the eye. “The massster sssaid to tell you that InuYasssha and hisss group have left the village.”

 

“I see.”

 

It was not lost on the small youkai that the miko had not lowered her bow. “The massster requestssss your presenccce.”

 

Kikyo backed into her room. “Tell Naraku I will be there…shortly.” She closed the door and, moments later, she resumed her earlier activity, which had been so rudely interrupted.

 

The bat youkai smiled evilly. “Bitch.” He fluttered off to inform Naraku of Kikyo's answer.

 

 

******************

 

 

Naraku smiled after the bat youkai made his report and left. The once-pure miko was becoming more corrupt by the hour as she gave in to the pleasures of her own body. A near miss by one of her hamayas should have purified the servant out of existence. Instead, like any ordinary arrow, it had merely nicked the servant's ear. Yet Kikyo still had power. He could feel it when they (Naraku shuddered) mated. He could feel it pour into him, restoring him.

 

And her power was building. She reminded Naraku of Tsubaki, only soon Kikyo would be more powerful than Tsubaki ever was.

 

He would help Kikyo become more powerful…and then he would take that power for himself.

 

And if she turned into dust like Tsubaki had…

 

Naraku smiled.

 

 

******************

 

 

“Where is the bastard?”

 

“Take it easy, InuYasha,” said Kagome. “We've only been here a few minutes.”

 

The group stood at the edge of a large field, where Sesshomaru had asked (practically commanded) them to meet him for more training.

 

“Keh.”

 

“Why don't we just make camp and wait for him? It's lunchtime, anyway. Why don't I make everyone ramen?”

 

“Feh.” The hanyou still sounded irritated, but the prospect of his favorite food had mollified him somewhat. “Fine, I'll gather some firewood.”

 

“And I'll help Sango get the water,” offered Miroku.

 

 

******************

 

 

An hour later, the group was sitting around the fire, eating their ramen, when Kagome sniffed and looked around, sniffing several more times. “Sesshomaru's coming.”

 

InuYasha was amazed that Kagome had detected his brother before he did. “Oi, are you sure?”

 

“Yeah. He's got Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un with him.”

 

InuYasha took a deep breath. There, at the limit of his youkai senses, he thought he might perceive his brother. Kagome's senses had to be more powerful than his. But that was fine with him. While Kagome was now stronger and more resilient than a mere ningen, she wasn't nearly as strong and tough as him…so better senses meant she would sense danger sooner. And that was good.

 

Several minutes later, Sesshomaru and his part joined their circle. After the usual insults between the brothers, Kagome played hostess by offering Sesshomaru's party some ramen.

 

At first, Sesshomaru turned the offer down, saying he had no use for ningen food, but Rin looked so longingly at the ramen that the Great Lord of the Western Lands relented on her account. “Rin, you may partake, if you wish.”

 

“Oh, thank you, Lord Sesshomaru!”

 

Jaken wouldn't go near the stuff, but InuYasha so pestered his brother that Sesshomaru finally relented…if for no other reason than to shut the hanyou up. He accepted a bowl from Kagome and, after poking at it with his chopsticks, finally put a bit of the strange food into his mouth.

 

It was good. It was really good.

 

When Kagome looked back at Sesshomaru, the taiyoukai's bowl was empty. “More?”

 

The Great Lord of the Western Lands nodded “yes.”

 

Kagome took his bowl and dished out some more ramen. Before long, Sesshomaru and Rin were sitting together, happily slurping down their lunch. Even Jaken accepted a small bowl of the stuff, having decided what was good enough for his master was good enough for him.

 

Kagome sighed. At this rate, she'd be having to make weekly trips back to Mama's to fetch more ramen.

 

Finally, after his sixth helping (somehow, the brothers had gotten into a ramen eating contest), Sesshomaru put down his bowl and asked if InuYasha was ready to resume his training.

 

“Anytime.”

 

InuYasha and Sesshomaru squared off across the field as everyone else watched.

 

“Draw, InuYasha!” The Great Lord of the Western Lands drew his own blade and began a charge.

 

 

******************

 

 

Back in his castle, Naraku observed the images transmitted by his saimyoushou. He watched as the brothers battled. Are they trying to destroy each other?” He knew that Sesshomaru had tried to kill InuYasha in the past, if just to take Tetsusaiga, and he had used Sesshomaru's desire to his advantage, but he thought they were no longer interested in killing each other.

 

Soon, however, it became apparent that Sesshomaru hadn't decided to kill InuYasha after all, but was merely engaged in a more vigorous training session. “It won't do you any good, InuYasha. Soon I will destroy you, your mate, and all you hold dear.”

 

 

******************

 

 

InuYasha and Sesshomaru faced each other, panting.

 

“You had better spend some time with your mate, InuYasha. Your attacks are weakening.”

 

“Feh.”

 

At an earlier time, InuYasha might have regarded Sesshomaru's statement as an insult and renewed his attack, but the prospect of spending time with Kagome (especially that kind of time) had been on his mind already and, in fact, he had been purposely holding back the power of his attacks to make Sesshomaru think he was weakening.

 

Sesshomaru smiled inwardly. He could tell that InuYasha had been holding back. Until his brother learned to control his aura, he would not be able to hide the power that resided within him. But he had been battling for hours and the Great Lord of the Western Lands couldn't blame him for wanting to spend time with his mate.

 

“Resume in a couple of hours?”

Sesshomaru nodded his agreement and InuYasha began walking off the field.

 

“Wait.”

 

InuYasha looked back at his brother. “What is it now?”

 

“Please direct one more `Onara no Icchau' towards this Sesshomaru.”

 

InuYasha stared at his brother for a moment, and then did as he asked. Who cared why the bastard wanted him to do it? InuYasha just wanted to get back to his mate for a little R&R.

 

He remained only long enough to watch the blast wash over his brother, who grimaced and shuddered. “Must be trying to toughen himself up. Guess he's worried about any stray blasts during the coming battle with Naraku.” The hanyou shrugged…then turned and left to find Kagome. As he left the field, he thought he smelled…

 

“No. Couldn't be.”

 

Sesshomaru turned to withdraw from the field and rejoin his pack.

 

It had been as good as the first time. Maybe better. He had known that his brother would have to hold back on the attack or give himself away for faking…so the wave had merely given him what he desired.

 

It was a good thing he had worn a fundoshi. Most of the time, he preferred “going command,” but he had been hoping for this again and so had worn one. He rejoined his pack sitting beneath a large tree on the edge of the field.

 

Jaken sniffed. There was that odd smell again. He glanced at his master, but said nothing.

 

Ah-Un stirred at the scent, but merely dismissed it as none of his business.

 

Rin walked over to Sesshomaru and presented the taiyoukai with some flowers she had picked. “What is that?” Her eyes widened as her youkai-enhanced sense of smell recognized the scent as being similar to what she had smelled around InuYasha and Kagome after Lord Sesshomaru had sent them away together. “Lord Sesshomaru smells like sex!”

 

She remembered Kagome's instructions about feigning hero-worship, even a crush, on Lord Sesshomaru. She held out the flowers again to Sesshomaru, who actually took them and sniffed them. Happily, Rin plopped herself down and snuggled up against his chest and into his mokomoko.

 

She just loved that scent!

 

Absently, she began stroking Sesshomaru's leg. The Great Lord of the Western Lands looked down at her once, but put the action down as some sort of childish behavior.

 

He was beginning to feel hungry.

 

 

******************

 

 

Kagome jumped off Kirara after the fire-neko landed beside the well. The young miko sighed. In just one week of training, they had managed to go through her one-month supply of ramen. She had volunteered to go back for more while the two brothers continued perfecting InuYasha's attack. Sango had been gracious enough to loan her Kirara and InuYasha, while slightly nervous and anxious about her leaving his side, had agreed that Kirara would provide sufficient protection for the short trip to the village and back.

 

“Now, wait here, Kirara. I should only be a few hours at most.” She paused for a brief moment before leaving. “What is that?” There was something at the edge of her senses. She looked all around, but didn't see anything. “Must be my imagination.”

 

The fire-neko watched as the young miko climbed up and jumped into the well. After the usual blue flash died down, Kirara settled down to wait for Kagome's return.

 

 

******************

 

 

Up above…way up above…Byakuya watched the young girl jump into the well. Being a youkai, he could see the ensuing blue flash. “What's this?” That had to have been InuYasha's mate. Nobody else wore clothes like that.

 

He commanded the paper crane to move slowly lower, till it was obvious that the fire-neko was getting uneasy about his presence. He flew directly over the well.

 

Byakuya wasn't sure, but he didn't think there was anyone in it. But, if that was the case, where had the girl gone?

 

He commanded the origami crane upwards again till the fire-neko settled down again.

 

He would have to watch for that blue light again, and the girl's return.

 

Naraku would be pleased.

 

 

 

 

A/N: Kikyo's turning into another Tsubaki, Sesshomaru's getting off on InuYasha's attacks, and Byakuya's seen Kagome disappear down the well. Oh, what will happen if Naraku discovers Kagome's secret? The final confrontation's coming. Just a few more chapters to go.

 

Please read and review. Reviews = inspiration for more chapters (I swear!). Thanks!