InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Little by Little ❯ Things You Didn't Want to Know ( Chapter 9 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: LittleKnownArtist 
Married life is wonderful isn't it? learning each other's preferences (both in the bedroom and other things) their habits, and their...hygiene? How often should you give your dog a bath?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.08.2016 | Pages: 7 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 440 | Status: Work In Progress
Married life is wonderful isn't it? learning each other's preferences (both in the bedroom and other things) their habits, and their...hygiene? How often should you give your dog a bath?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.08.2016 | Pages: 7 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 440 | Status: Work In Progress
"Wait, did we eat dinner?"
Inuyasha groaned. He pulled his arm off from around her.
"You eat, I'm…staying here.
"Inuyasha," she started, sitting up, "you sure?"
Inuyasha replied with a grunt, turning his face into his arm. Kagome smiled and shook her head. She rolled her shoulders and started to fix her hair, but as she lifted her hand, she noticed long strands of silvery-white hair twisted about her fingers. Inuyasha cracked an eye open at the sound of her giggle. She smiled at him, trying to subdue her giggles. He returned the smile lazily and closed his eyes again.
Kagome dressed hastily in just her white kosode, picking up some wood and trying to start the fire. She chose a carrot to munch on for now, since she wasn't keen on preparing an actual meal. When she got the fire going, she took a damp rag to her neck to wipe away any sweat, and of course to her legs. She would still want to clean more thoroughly at the river come morning, but not just because of this. She wanted to wash her hair out, since it had been a few days since she had properly rinsed her hair. She wiped her chest too—her husband had tried to clean the mess, but she still felt a little sticky.
She downed a cup of water and sat beside her hanyou husband, turning to ask if he would, after all, want something to eat or drink…but…he was lying prone—breathing softly—sound asleep. That was…he never slept on his belly. His preferred position was curled on his side, though sometimes he slept on his back when he wasn't sitting against a wall on full alert. The only time he was on his belly was when an enemy knocked him out.
One ear swiveled at the light 'tap' when she set her cup down. It didn't surprise Kagome that her husband's ears were apparently still vigilant to any disturbances. Most voices he slept through, but sounds? For the noise not to disrupt the even pace of his breathing in the slightest, she also knew he mustreallybe tired. Truth be told, she was sleepy too, but it didn't make much sense for her to set out the bedding before the sun went down. Come morning, it wouldn't be pleasant on her back if she slept on the floor, as her husband was doing. Even if she did sleep a little longer with her husband doing a good job of wearing her out and all.
With that thought, a pesky yawn drew itself out of her mouth. She wiped away the bit of moisture that collected in the corner of her eye and looked back down to the snoozing man. It was rare that Kagome got to see him sleeping. Rare and pleasant for the young Miko. He required less sleep than a human did—she knew. He could function on no sleep for days (though she wasn't sure how well) but when he did finally get the restful sleep he deserved—not propped against a wall—he looked so sweet and peaceful. Like most men, his eyelashes were dark and unfairly thicker than a woman's, looking angelic against his cheek. His eyebrows and eyelashes weren't really black—she had realized this at some point, though now that she thought about it, it must have been the first time she watched him sleep, having overtaken her bed. They were dark grey, or silver, rather. That somewhat explained the darker silver trail down his belly.
His silvery-white hair lay strewn out and tangled to one side of him, leaving his back open to her gaze. The young woman's eyes traveled downwards, examining the one lasting scar that mirrored the one on his front. It was a little off to the side, but she still didn't understand how Sesshomaru failed to sever Inuyasha's spinal column. Or perhaps he had, but the boy's demonic healing had somehow repaired the damage? Kagome shook her head. It was impossible to imagine the limits of her husband's body.
Aside from that particular scar, the skin of his back was smooth and tan, stretched taut over hard muscles. Her gaze drifted lower, him having failed to cover up before falling asleep. Lean and muscular like the rest of him, his backside was just about perfect, but Kagome couldn't help but think it would be all the more exquisite in her palms.
She startled at her own thoughts. She felt her cheeks blaze as she tore her eyes away, that having been about the most perverted thought she had…in a while anyway. She held her burning cheeks in her hands, remembering her poor husband was completely innocent in her ogling. But again…hewashusband, so he washersogle.
Realizing something then, she more casually glanced down to his bare legs. It was odd, but she recalled that throughout their travels, he had never once exposed his legs, not even on the rare occasion they were injured. The time a demon had wrapped his legs in barbs that pierced his clothing, he had limped around on a bad ankle for hours, insisting he was fine and refusing treatment. She had only convinced him to stop in their constant marching when blood soaked through his hakama, and just by claiming she wanted to make camp. It was as if he was embarrassed. It was entirely possible, she supposed, despite his gruff façade he had seemed a bit prudish. For boys, taking off their tops layers must not be a big deal, but the bottoms seemed a completely different can of worms.
She had seen him naked on the one occasion as a girl, but she had been much too concerned with throwing everything in reach at him and tryingnotlook at him. Despite her efforts then, she had gotten quite the eyeful, and it certainly hadn't been hislegshad etched their image into her fifteen-year-old mind.
Finished admiring her husband, the young Miko took her sad excuse for dinner out to the front of the house, leaning against the outer wall to watch the stars appear in the dimming light. She stared until the last remnants of the twilight blackened into night. The dark opened her view to countless far-away suns, unconcealed by clouds and only interrupted in brightness by the dim light of the waxing moon.
She returned to the house and kneeled beside Inuyasha. She sat for a long while, reflecting on the past two months since she had made her final journey through the well. She had never spent so much time, uninterrupted, in this era and the transition was easier than she had expected, at first. Small things were different from her travels, the kitchen setup, no toothbrush or razors, no instant foods to cook in boiling water, but it wasn't all that hard to get used to.
The last item on the list drew her attention back to the man sleeping beside her. If she thought about it, she could probably make something similar to ramen. It would have to be rabbit or pheasant flavored instead of the beef or pork, but it was something Inuyasha would likely enjoy. She wanted to try it soon, just to see the look on his face.
Although, seeing him now, he looked plenty content with just lying on the floor. Ordinarily, she knew he would never allow himself to appear as vulnerable as he did now. He likely resisted sleeping on his belly so to not expose his back in a world of countless threats. However, here, he was alone with his wife and allowed himself that vulnerability. Kagome was touched that he felt so comfortable with her. He was so conked out that he hardly moved besides an involuntary shiver as she traced the edge of his scapula with one finger. He rarely slept this deeply.
Somewhere inside Kagome was a gentle laughter, knowingshehad been the cause of this—or more specifically, their actions prior to his nap.Sheworn out her husband. HerhanyouThe knowledge of this tempted her—just a bit—to take advantage of his open, defenseless back. She leaned forward to kiss the center, just above the scar. Suddenly bold, she drew her tongue over his skin, tasting a bit of the salt. A strange whine issued from the dozing man, sounding almost like something from an old dog. She thought it was cute, though she would never say it...partly because Inuyasha got so upset when he was compared to a dog.
Continuing her torment, the young Miko reached up for an ear. The fuzzy little thing flicked away from her touch, pinning itself out of the way and against Inuyasha's head. She grasped it softly, massaging it until it relaxed and stood upright again. A sigh and facial twitches let Kagome know that Inuyasha was on his way back to consciousness. She smiled, releasing the ear.
"Kagome," he uttered when she lifted a piece of hair away from his face. Heavy eyelids lifted open to Kagome's smiling face.
"Hey," she greeted.
It took only a second for full alertness to clear his vision as he rose to his elbows.
"How long was I out?"
"An hour, give or take."
He turned away with a sheepish look on his face.
"Damn, I can't believe I actually fell asleep," he admitted. "And here I thought I was part demon," he joked.
"Well, I don't know," she started in a leading tone, "but I'm not sure most guys can have their wife—y'know—and then immediately go for it right after." She swallowed in an attempt to keep the color in her cheeks down. Inuyasha looked straight ahead as he awkwardly sat up, facing away from her. He pulled his discarded kosode over his lap as casually as he could with burning cheeks.
"You ain't tired at all?"
Kagome blinked.
"I am but…" her jaw clicked and she touched her fingers to the joint. Inuyasha turned to look with the clicking sound. Kagome caught his eyes for a second, looking away while explaining,
"My jaw's a little sore, sorry." She looked up to catch a millisecond of Inuyasha's horrified expression before he turned away. He didn't say anything though. Kagome sighed. His ears flicked at the sound and Kagome reached up to grasp onto one. He flinched at first, but Kagome rubbed the delicate appendage gently, muttering, "You're alright," though Inuyasha couldn't be certain what that was in reference to. Inuyasha turned a little back towards her, raising an eyebrow. He let her continue for a second, trying not to react or push her hand away, but then gave up fighting, dipping his head lower for her.
"That feels good."
"You always told me not to touch your ears."
Inuyasha squinted with a benign glare.
"That's 'cause you always yanked on them when you wanted my attention. There are better ways to do that, y'know." He scoffed, "I've seen human mothers discipline their kids by the ears, so I know it hurts you guys too."
Kagome stilled her hand, apologizing for being so heartless. Inuyasha brushed it off now that she knew better. Her hand migrated to his hair, instantly finding a knot. She pulled her hand away, remembering the tangled strands she'd had twisted about her fingers earlier. She had ripped out a good chunk, but it would have been a lot less if his hair weren't so tangled.
"Inuyasha," she started, tilting her head to the side, "when was the last time you combed your hair?"
Inuyasha blinked. He twisted around to face her fully, trying to be nonchalant in holding the fabric over his lap in place. Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes and mentally repeated the words he said the other day. 'Not like I haven't already seen you naked,'quite a bit of him up close. With his other hand he toyed with an elbow-length bit of white hair.
"With an actual comb? Back when my mother would do it for me…" Inuyasha suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had so casually mentioned his mother. He would never just spew tidbits his life story with anyone else, so why had he just done that? It wasn't as if she asked about his mother.
Kagome squinted in confusion. "But your hair would just be a giant rat's nest!"
Inuyasha shrugged, dragging his fingers through the bit of hair he was holding. Kagome noted that his claws were nearly their original length and sharpness. Kagome rolled a question around in her mind. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask—but she reconsidered when he shifted and she remembered what she had done earlier that night. This would be simple in comparison.
"Can I comb your hair?"
She wasn't expecting his surprised expression, nor the following blush.
"Why?"
"Why?" She repeated, raising a confused brow. Kagome thought over the last few sentences she spoke.'Well no wonder, he probably took that the wrong way,'she figured, encountering the statement about his hair being a rat's nest.
"Oh, I just meant, well…I just want to, I guess."
Inuyasha scoffed. He told her she could do whatever she wanted. Kagome frowned when he tilted his head away from her, though she couldn't keep the image of putting his hair in pink bows and braids from entering her mind. She would never do that, but he had said she could do 'whatever' she wanted to. Even if those were the consequences? Nah, he'd budge at some point, with "I didn't mean it literally!"
Rolling her eyes, she wondered if it was even worth it. She stood to walk to the box she kept her hair essentials in and thought that there wasn't much of a point. As often as he just plowed his way through the forest, it would be tangled again in two second's time. Not to mention the fact that he was still staring in the opposite direction of her—probably scowling, she thought.
However, Inuyasha was only facing away from her to hide the tint in his cheeks. He really felt like a fool, embarrassed from just having his wife ask about his hair—and from revealing more than he'd planned to. Kagome didn't seem fazed by his casual mention, immediately going into another topic, but the thought still twirled about his mind as Kagome came to sit beside him. With a movement that surprised him, she reached around his neck and brushed her fingertips against his shoulders. He knew she was only collecting his hair, but he couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. He shifted to a more upright position, hoping that would muddle the involuntary shiver in her mind, and would seem as though it were nothing.
Kagome knew what his hair felt like, heavy and thick—she had spent a lot of time getting whipped in the face by it—also coarse and dry, like a horse's tail. While it looked pretty when it caught the light, the texture wasn't the most pleasant. While she separated a piece, she wondered if a few conditioning treatments in her time might get it to a softer state. She couldn't see well by the firelight, but she knew it must have split ends from root to tip. If he cut it every so often, that might've helped. She drug her fingers through the bit she had and saw that it actually wasn't nearly as tangled as she expected...for a guy who hadn't combed his hair in at leastfifty years.She started at the last few centimeters, finding no resistance as the blue plastic comb slipped right through the strands. She went up higher and found no trace of tangles again. She jumped ahead to start halfway up, this time encountering a knot and accidentally jerking Inuyasha's head with a soft grunt. She apologized and took her time with the next stroke, gripping the hair above the knot when she found one.
She was sure he had somehow miraculously gone through life with nearly tangle-free hair as she combed through each section. Until she got to the underside of the thick mass of hair. The part just behind his neck was so tightly and thickly knotted there was no way he wasn't bothered by it. Not unless he was completely oblivious to the fact he owned a full head of hair. She released that chunk of to use his back to brush against and he immediately jumped when he felt the comb scratching his skin.
"What are you doing?" He asked, wrenching his head around to look at Kagome.
"Hold still," she commanded, continuing to comb the bottom of the rope of hair. He reached his hand back around to prevent further movement on his back.
"Hey," he barked out a warning.
Kagome raised a brow, glancing away and down at where the back of his hand was pressed. Right along the edge of his pinkish scar.
"I'm sorry!" She thought scars had no nerve endings, but from his reaction, "I didn't know the scar hurts. I didn't even see where I was."
It was Inuyasha's turn to raise a brow.
"Hurt? You weren't even on the scar," he admitted. He lowered his hand away from his back, and looked away from his wife. Kagome puzzled over his expression for a second. She cocked her head to the side and reached out to touch his back, a little lower than the scar, down to where she had actually been pressing the comb to at the small of his back. Inuyasha shrugged away from her hand. A smile planted itself on Kagome's face.
"I forgot. You actually like your back being touched, don't you?"
She heard a breathy chuckle. He turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Not any more than you do," he said.
Kagome chuckled and removed her hand. "It tickles, doesn't it?"
Inuyasha smirked, "I wouldn't really say that. I've never been ticklish."
Kagome rolled her eyes and tapped his shoulder, telling him to turn around and let her finish.
"Inuyasha, you don't have to stand guard the entire time."
Inuyasha huffed from his position beside the bank of the pool of water. It was the very same pool in the river where Inuyasha had seen her naked the first time. Which meant it was very close to the village. If some random village man should take this route in getting home, Inuyasha would have to be on alert in to block the man's path and recommend he take a different road. He would much rather pluck out a man's eyes than let one besides himself see the young Miko bathing, now that she and he were wed.
His ears pricked in the direction of her slight splashing. He looked over to see her blurred form kicking over to the deeper part of the pool. She broke the surface on the other side; gulping in air and leaning back to float. That time more than four years ago, he hadn't even cared about a naked girl splashing under his vision; he merely wanted the jewel shard he thought she carried. He cared nothing for her nudity and had hardly noticed it at the time. He didn't care to look at any girl at that time, though the image of one naked should have at least turned his head in the opposite direction—again, he had a one track mind, set on locating the jewel shard.
Now was a whole other story, as he watched Kagome scrub her scalp with her nails. He was transfixed on how her bodymovedshe scrubbed in the waist-deep water. She opened her eyes and he straightaway turned his head before she could catch him. He pretended to stare off looking for danger or peeping eyes.
'Ah, he's not even looking?'thought forlornly,'...I suppose he really does just want to make sure I'm safe while we're here.´Kagome sighed. He could probably detect an incoming human from the start of the road, so there was no need for him to keep his guard up quite this much. Kagome swam to the other end of the pool, where her husband was standing.
"Inuyasha," she called.
His gaze finally fell back to her at the sound of his name.
"You're not going to join me at all?"
Inuyasha scoffed.
Kagome bit her lip.
"It just feels really weird being totally naked like this, when you're dressed, just watching over me."
"Then finish up and we'll head home." Inuyasha didn't even blink as he spoke. He really didn't like her staying out like this—so close to the main village—for any longer than she needed. She mentioned coming to the river in the morning, but she had woken up cranky and dilly-dallied all morning, missing out on her restricted bath time. He would have liked her to do it in the morning, so she would just get in, get bathed and get back out with the limited time she had.
"The water's really nice."
"It's cold."
"It's July, it's not that cold."
"Is that so," he said, purposefully directing his gaze below her shoulders. Kagome crossed her arms over her chest with his inspection.
"Grouch," she mumbled as she turned away from him. She took a deep breath and continued, "Come on, Inuyasha. You can't be worried about anyone coming here. If anyone did, you'd hear them a few minutes before they passed, wouldn't you?"
She made a good point but he'd need a little more convincing. She looked over her shoulder at him.
"Come on, please?"
'Why?'Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He scanned the lining trees, growled in annoyance and began to disrobe. Kagome smiled as he pulled his top layers away and started on his hakama. He looked at her as he pulled on the ties and flushed, looking away but continuing to undress. He finished and slowly slipped into thecoldwater a meter or so away from Kagome.
"There, happy?"
Kagome flashed a smile. Inuyasha waded to a shallower position and sat in the water, hunching over so only his head above the nose came over the water. For some reason then, Kagome waded over to where her clothes were laid out. She reached over the bank and into her clothes. She pulled out the blue comb she had used on Inuyasha last night. Inuyasha spotted it as she turned back to him, he sat up straighter.
"You with the comb again!" he said with a scoff.
"I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything last night," she declared.
Inuyasha wiped his hand down his face.
"You're serious?"
"Of course I am."
Inuyasha growled again. Might as well get it over with. Hopefully she wouldn't end up pulling his hair as she had last night. He pushed his wet hair off his shoulders and down his back, and Kagome came to kneel beside him. She started at the roots this time, finding it curious how she made it to the ends without finding a single snag in even wet hair. Maybe part of being a half-demon was tangle-resistant hair. She couldn't imagine Sesshomaru going through the trouble of combing his hair in the mornings, and he had really nice hair. She started at the roots and combed to the tips several more times, until at one time, she got a good look at his scalp.
In the house the previous night, the light had been so dim so she didn't see anything, but now…was that dandruff? Demons get dandruff? She cringed at the sight of his scalp. He had a bad patch of whatever it was on his scalp. Why hadn't she ever noticed before? Oh, maybe because his hair was about the same color? She swallowed and scratched gently at it with the comb, making it seem like she was still just combing his hair, albeit a little rougher. She scraped some of the flakes away.
She looked at her husband's hair with a grimace, but noticed that where she had scraped the flakes was now nice clean scalp. 'Ew,'thought, 'this definitely comes from not washing his hair enough.'That would change. Oh, that would change. She would make sure every time she bathed, he would come with her. She brought the comb back down, fighting the urge to squeal and scraped off another chunk.
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking up at her.
"I'm almost done," she squeaked. Inuyasha raised a brow, but Kagome told him to let her finish what she was doing. He was about to protest until she sent him a glare, to which he scoffed and returned to tipping his head down. She continued with her task until all she could see was nice clean scalp under all that white hair and sat properly in the water beside him. She really hoped she wouldn't have to do that again, and she was suddenly reassured when she saw Inuyasha tipping his head back to scrub at his hair with his fingers and claws. So, it would seem, so long as he took baths he knew to clean his hair, but the frequency of his baths were the problem.
A few minutes were spent in silence, with Inuyasha scrubbing his hair and body when His ears twitched at a noise.
"See, I knew this would happen the second I got in. I've got to chase this guy off, be right back."
Kagome shrugged. "Nah, I'll get out, it's been long enough," she commented as Inuyasha sprung out onto the bank to dress. She followed him onto the ground, squeezing out her hair. She barely reached her clothes by the time the hanyou man was clad in red once again. He sure did dress fast. Maybe the water temperature really had given him a chill?
Inuyasha groaned. He pulled his arm off from around her.
"You eat, I'm…staying here.
"Inuyasha," she started, sitting up, "you sure?"
Inuyasha replied with a grunt, turning his face into his arm. Kagome smiled and shook her head. She rolled her shoulders and started to fix her hair, but as she lifted her hand, she noticed long strands of silvery-white hair twisted about her fingers. Inuyasha cracked an eye open at the sound of her giggle. She smiled at him, trying to subdue her giggles. He returned the smile lazily and closed his eyes again.
Kagome dressed hastily in just her white kosode, picking up some wood and trying to start the fire. She chose a carrot to munch on for now, since she wasn't keen on preparing an actual meal. When she got the fire going, she took a damp rag to her neck to wipe away any sweat, and of course to her legs. She would still want to clean more thoroughly at the river come morning, but not just because of this. She wanted to wash her hair out, since it had been a few days since she had properly rinsed her hair. She wiped her chest too—her husband had tried to clean the mess, but she still felt a little sticky.
She downed a cup of water and sat beside her hanyou husband, turning to ask if he would, after all, want something to eat or drink…but…he was lying prone—breathing softly—sound asleep. That was…he never slept on his belly. His preferred position was curled on his side, though sometimes he slept on his back when he wasn't sitting against a wall on full alert. The only time he was on his belly was when an enemy knocked him out.
One ear swiveled at the light 'tap' when she set her cup down. It didn't surprise Kagome that her husband's ears were apparently still vigilant to any disturbances. Most voices he slept through, but sounds? For the noise not to disrupt the even pace of his breathing in the slightest, she also knew he mustreallybe tired. Truth be told, she was sleepy too, but it didn't make much sense for her to set out the bedding before the sun went down. Come morning, it wouldn't be pleasant on her back if she slept on the floor, as her husband was doing. Even if she did sleep a little longer with her husband doing a good job of wearing her out and all.
With that thought, a pesky yawn drew itself out of her mouth. She wiped away the bit of moisture that collected in the corner of her eye and looked back down to the snoozing man. It was rare that Kagome got to see him sleeping. Rare and pleasant for the young Miko. He required less sleep than a human did—she knew. He could function on no sleep for days (though she wasn't sure how well) but when he did finally get the restful sleep he deserved—not propped against a wall—he looked so sweet and peaceful. Like most men, his eyelashes were dark and unfairly thicker than a woman's, looking angelic against his cheek. His eyebrows and eyelashes weren't really black—she had realized this at some point, though now that she thought about it, it must have been the first time she watched him sleep, having overtaken her bed. They were dark grey, or silver, rather. That somewhat explained the darker silver trail down his belly.
His silvery-white hair lay strewn out and tangled to one side of him, leaving his back open to her gaze. The young woman's eyes traveled downwards, examining the one lasting scar that mirrored the one on his front. It was a little off to the side, but she still didn't understand how Sesshomaru failed to sever Inuyasha's spinal column. Or perhaps he had, but the boy's demonic healing had somehow repaired the damage? Kagome shook her head. It was impossible to imagine the limits of her husband's body.
Aside from that particular scar, the skin of his back was smooth and tan, stretched taut over hard muscles. Her gaze drifted lower, him having failed to cover up before falling asleep. Lean and muscular like the rest of him, his backside was just about perfect, but Kagome couldn't help but think it would be all the more exquisite in her palms.
She startled at her own thoughts. She felt her cheeks blaze as she tore her eyes away, that having been about the most perverted thought she had…in a while anyway. She held her burning cheeks in her hands, remembering her poor husband was completely innocent in her ogling. But again…hewashusband, so he washersogle.
Realizing something then, she more casually glanced down to his bare legs. It was odd, but she recalled that throughout their travels, he had never once exposed his legs, not even on the rare occasion they were injured. The time a demon had wrapped his legs in barbs that pierced his clothing, he had limped around on a bad ankle for hours, insisting he was fine and refusing treatment. She had only convinced him to stop in their constant marching when blood soaked through his hakama, and just by claiming she wanted to make camp. It was as if he was embarrassed. It was entirely possible, she supposed, despite his gruff façade he had seemed a bit prudish. For boys, taking off their tops layers must not be a big deal, but the bottoms seemed a completely different can of worms.
She had seen him naked on the one occasion as a girl, but she had been much too concerned with throwing everything in reach at him and tryingnotlook at him. Despite her efforts then, she had gotten quite the eyeful, and it certainly hadn't been hislegshad etched their image into her fifteen-year-old mind.
Finished admiring her husband, the young Miko took her sad excuse for dinner out to the front of the house, leaning against the outer wall to watch the stars appear in the dimming light. She stared until the last remnants of the twilight blackened into night. The dark opened her view to countless far-away suns, unconcealed by clouds and only interrupted in brightness by the dim light of the waxing moon.
She returned to the house and kneeled beside Inuyasha. She sat for a long while, reflecting on the past two months since she had made her final journey through the well. She had never spent so much time, uninterrupted, in this era and the transition was easier than she had expected, at first. Small things were different from her travels, the kitchen setup, no toothbrush or razors, no instant foods to cook in boiling water, but it wasn't all that hard to get used to.
The last item on the list drew her attention back to the man sleeping beside her. If she thought about it, she could probably make something similar to ramen. It would have to be rabbit or pheasant flavored instead of the beef or pork, but it was something Inuyasha would likely enjoy. She wanted to try it soon, just to see the look on his face.
Although, seeing him now, he looked plenty content with just lying on the floor. Ordinarily, she knew he would never allow himself to appear as vulnerable as he did now. He likely resisted sleeping on his belly so to not expose his back in a world of countless threats. However, here, he was alone with his wife and allowed himself that vulnerability. Kagome was touched that he felt so comfortable with her. He was so conked out that he hardly moved besides an involuntary shiver as she traced the edge of his scapula with one finger. He rarely slept this deeply.
Somewhere inside Kagome was a gentle laughter, knowingshehad been the cause of this—or more specifically, their actions prior to his nap.Sheworn out her husband. HerhanyouThe knowledge of this tempted her—just a bit—to take advantage of his open, defenseless back. She leaned forward to kiss the center, just above the scar. Suddenly bold, she drew her tongue over his skin, tasting a bit of the salt. A strange whine issued from the dozing man, sounding almost like something from an old dog. She thought it was cute, though she would never say it...partly because Inuyasha got so upset when he was compared to a dog.
Continuing her torment, the young Miko reached up for an ear. The fuzzy little thing flicked away from her touch, pinning itself out of the way and against Inuyasha's head. She grasped it softly, massaging it until it relaxed and stood upright again. A sigh and facial twitches let Kagome know that Inuyasha was on his way back to consciousness. She smiled, releasing the ear.
"Kagome," he uttered when she lifted a piece of hair away from his face. Heavy eyelids lifted open to Kagome's smiling face.
"Hey," she greeted.
It took only a second for full alertness to clear his vision as he rose to his elbows.
"How long was I out?"
"An hour, give or take."
He turned away with a sheepish look on his face.
"Damn, I can't believe I actually fell asleep," he admitted. "And here I thought I was part demon," he joked.
"Well, I don't know," she started in a leading tone, "but I'm not sure most guys can have their wife—y'know—and then immediately go for it right after." She swallowed in an attempt to keep the color in her cheeks down. Inuyasha looked straight ahead as he awkwardly sat up, facing away from her. He pulled his discarded kosode over his lap as casually as he could with burning cheeks.
"You ain't tired at all?"
Kagome blinked.
"I am but…" her jaw clicked and she touched her fingers to the joint. Inuyasha turned to look with the clicking sound. Kagome caught his eyes for a second, looking away while explaining,
"My jaw's a little sore, sorry." She looked up to catch a millisecond of Inuyasha's horrified expression before he turned away. He didn't say anything though. Kagome sighed. His ears flicked at the sound and Kagome reached up to grasp onto one. He flinched at first, but Kagome rubbed the delicate appendage gently, muttering, "You're alright," though Inuyasha couldn't be certain what that was in reference to. Inuyasha turned a little back towards her, raising an eyebrow. He let her continue for a second, trying not to react or push her hand away, but then gave up fighting, dipping his head lower for her.
"That feels good."
"You always told me not to touch your ears."
Inuyasha squinted with a benign glare.
"That's 'cause you always yanked on them when you wanted my attention. There are better ways to do that, y'know." He scoffed, "I've seen human mothers discipline their kids by the ears, so I know it hurts you guys too."
Kagome stilled her hand, apologizing for being so heartless. Inuyasha brushed it off now that she knew better. Her hand migrated to his hair, instantly finding a knot. She pulled her hand away, remembering the tangled strands she'd had twisted about her fingers earlier. She had ripped out a good chunk, but it would have been a lot less if his hair weren't so tangled.
"Inuyasha," she started, tilting her head to the side, "when was the last time you combed your hair?"
Inuyasha blinked. He twisted around to face her fully, trying to be nonchalant in holding the fabric over his lap in place. Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes and mentally repeated the words he said the other day. 'Not like I haven't already seen you naked,'quite a bit of him up close. With his other hand he toyed with an elbow-length bit of white hair.
"With an actual comb? Back when my mother would do it for me…" Inuyasha suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had so casually mentioned his mother. He would never just spew tidbits his life story with anyone else, so why had he just done that? It wasn't as if she asked about his mother.
Kagome squinted in confusion. "But your hair would just be a giant rat's nest!"
Inuyasha shrugged, dragging his fingers through the bit of hair he was holding. Kagome noted that his claws were nearly their original length and sharpness. Kagome rolled a question around in her mind. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask—but she reconsidered when he shifted and she remembered what she had done earlier that night. This would be simple in comparison.
"Can I comb your hair?"
She wasn't expecting his surprised expression, nor the following blush.
"Why?"
"Why?" She repeated, raising a confused brow. Kagome thought over the last few sentences she spoke.'Well no wonder, he probably took that the wrong way,'she figured, encountering the statement about his hair being a rat's nest.
"Oh, I just meant, well…I just want to, I guess."
Inuyasha scoffed. He told her she could do whatever she wanted. Kagome frowned when he tilted his head away from her, though she couldn't keep the image of putting his hair in pink bows and braids from entering her mind. She would never do that, but he had said she could do 'whatever' she wanted to. Even if those were the consequences? Nah, he'd budge at some point, with "I didn't mean it literally!"
Rolling her eyes, she wondered if it was even worth it. She stood to walk to the box she kept her hair essentials in and thought that there wasn't much of a point. As often as he just plowed his way through the forest, it would be tangled again in two second's time. Not to mention the fact that he was still staring in the opposite direction of her—probably scowling, she thought.
However, Inuyasha was only facing away from her to hide the tint in his cheeks. He really felt like a fool, embarrassed from just having his wife ask about his hair—and from revealing more than he'd planned to. Kagome didn't seem fazed by his casual mention, immediately going into another topic, but the thought still twirled about his mind as Kagome came to sit beside him. With a movement that surprised him, she reached around his neck and brushed her fingertips against his shoulders. He knew she was only collecting his hair, but he couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. He shifted to a more upright position, hoping that would muddle the involuntary shiver in her mind, and would seem as though it were nothing.
Kagome knew what his hair felt like, heavy and thick—she had spent a lot of time getting whipped in the face by it—also coarse and dry, like a horse's tail. While it looked pretty when it caught the light, the texture wasn't the most pleasant. While she separated a piece, she wondered if a few conditioning treatments in her time might get it to a softer state. She couldn't see well by the firelight, but she knew it must have split ends from root to tip. If he cut it every so often, that might've helped. She drug her fingers through the bit she had and saw that it actually wasn't nearly as tangled as she expected...for a guy who hadn't combed his hair in at leastfifty years.She started at the last few centimeters, finding no resistance as the blue plastic comb slipped right through the strands. She went up higher and found no trace of tangles again. She jumped ahead to start halfway up, this time encountering a knot and accidentally jerking Inuyasha's head with a soft grunt. She apologized and took her time with the next stroke, gripping the hair above the knot when she found one.
She was sure he had somehow miraculously gone through life with nearly tangle-free hair as she combed through each section. Until she got to the underside of the thick mass of hair. The part just behind his neck was so tightly and thickly knotted there was no way he wasn't bothered by it. Not unless he was completely oblivious to the fact he owned a full head of hair. She released that chunk of to use his back to brush against and he immediately jumped when he felt the comb scratching his skin.
"What are you doing?" He asked, wrenching his head around to look at Kagome.
"Hold still," she commanded, continuing to comb the bottom of the rope of hair. He reached his hand back around to prevent further movement on his back.
"Hey," he barked out a warning.
Kagome raised a brow, glancing away and down at where the back of his hand was pressed. Right along the edge of his pinkish scar.
"I'm sorry!" She thought scars had no nerve endings, but from his reaction, "I didn't know the scar hurts. I didn't even see where I was."
It was Inuyasha's turn to raise a brow.
"Hurt? You weren't even on the scar," he admitted. He lowered his hand away from his back, and looked away from his wife. Kagome puzzled over his expression for a second. She cocked her head to the side and reached out to touch his back, a little lower than the scar, down to where she had actually been pressing the comb to at the small of his back. Inuyasha shrugged away from her hand. A smile planted itself on Kagome's face.
"I forgot. You actually like your back being touched, don't you?"
She heard a breathy chuckle. He turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Not any more than you do," he said.
Kagome chuckled and removed her hand. "It tickles, doesn't it?"
Inuyasha smirked, "I wouldn't really say that. I've never been ticklish."
Kagome rolled her eyes and tapped his shoulder, telling him to turn around and let her finish.
"Inuyasha, you don't have to stand guard the entire time."
Inuyasha huffed from his position beside the bank of the pool of water. It was the very same pool in the river where Inuyasha had seen her naked the first time. Which meant it was very close to the village. If some random village man should take this route in getting home, Inuyasha would have to be on alert in to block the man's path and recommend he take a different road. He would much rather pluck out a man's eyes than let one besides himself see the young Miko bathing, now that she and he were wed.
His ears pricked in the direction of her slight splashing. He looked over to see her blurred form kicking over to the deeper part of the pool. She broke the surface on the other side; gulping in air and leaning back to float. That time more than four years ago, he hadn't even cared about a naked girl splashing under his vision; he merely wanted the jewel shard he thought she carried. He cared nothing for her nudity and had hardly noticed it at the time. He didn't care to look at any girl at that time, though the image of one naked should have at least turned his head in the opposite direction—again, he had a one track mind, set on locating the jewel shard.
Now was a whole other story, as he watched Kagome scrub her scalp with her nails. He was transfixed on how her bodymovedshe scrubbed in the waist-deep water. She opened her eyes and he straightaway turned his head before she could catch him. He pretended to stare off looking for danger or peeping eyes.
'Ah, he's not even looking?'thought forlornly,'...I suppose he really does just want to make sure I'm safe while we're here.´Kagome sighed. He could probably detect an incoming human from the start of the road, so there was no need for him to keep his guard up quite this much. Kagome swam to the other end of the pool, where her husband was standing.
"Inuyasha," she called.
His gaze finally fell back to her at the sound of his name.
"You're not going to join me at all?"
Inuyasha scoffed.
Kagome bit her lip.
"It just feels really weird being totally naked like this, when you're dressed, just watching over me."
"Then finish up and we'll head home." Inuyasha didn't even blink as he spoke. He really didn't like her staying out like this—so close to the main village—for any longer than she needed. She mentioned coming to the river in the morning, but she had woken up cranky and dilly-dallied all morning, missing out on her restricted bath time. He would have liked her to do it in the morning, so she would just get in, get bathed and get back out with the limited time she had.
"The water's really nice."
"It's cold."
"It's July, it's not that cold."
"Is that so," he said, purposefully directing his gaze below her shoulders. Kagome crossed her arms over her chest with his inspection.
"Grouch," she mumbled as she turned away from him. She took a deep breath and continued, "Come on, Inuyasha. You can't be worried about anyone coming here. If anyone did, you'd hear them a few minutes before they passed, wouldn't you?"
She made a good point but he'd need a little more convincing. She looked over her shoulder at him.
"Come on, please?"
'Why?'Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He scanned the lining trees, growled in annoyance and began to disrobe. Kagome smiled as he pulled his top layers away and started on his hakama. He looked at her as he pulled on the ties and flushed, looking away but continuing to undress. He finished and slowly slipped into thecoldwater a meter or so away from Kagome.
"There, happy?"
Kagome flashed a smile. Inuyasha waded to a shallower position and sat in the water, hunching over so only his head above the nose came over the water. For some reason then, Kagome waded over to where her clothes were laid out. She reached over the bank and into her clothes. She pulled out the blue comb she had used on Inuyasha last night. Inuyasha spotted it as she turned back to him, he sat up straighter.
"You with the comb again!" he said with a scoff.
"I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything last night," she declared.
Inuyasha wiped his hand down his face.
"You're serious?"
"Of course I am."
Inuyasha growled again. Might as well get it over with. Hopefully she wouldn't end up pulling his hair as she had last night. He pushed his wet hair off his shoulders and down his back, and Kagome came to kneel beside him. She started at the roots this time, finding it curious how she made it to the ends without finding a single snag in even wet hair. Maybe part of being a half-demon was tangle-resistant hair. She couldn't imagine Sesshomaru going through the trouble of combing his hair in the mornings, and he had really nice hair. She started at the roots and combed to the tips several more times, until at one time, she got a good look at his scalp.
In the house the previous night, the light had been so dim so she didn't see anything, but now…was that dandruff? Demons get dandruff? She cringed at the sight of his scalp. He had a bad patch of whatever it was on his scalp. Why hadn't she ever noticed before? Oh, maybe because his hair was about the same color? She swallowed and scratched gently at it with the comb, making it seem like she was still just combing his hair, albeit a little rougher. She scraped some of the flakes away.
She looked at her husband's hair with a grimace, but noticed that where she had scraped the flakes was now nice clean scalp. 'Ew,'thought, 'this definitely comes from not washing his hair enough.'That would change. Oh, that would change. She would make sure every time she bathed, he would come with her. She brought the comb back down, fighting the urge to squeal and scraped off another chunk.
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking up at her.
"I'm almost done," she squeaked. Inuyasha raised a brow, but Kagome told him to let her finish what she was doing. He was about to protest until she sent him a glare, to which he scoffed and returned to tipping his head down. She continued with her task until all she could see was nice clean scalp under all that white hair and sat properly in the water beside him. She really hoped she wouldn't have to do that again, and she was suddenly reassured when she saw Inuyasha tipping his head back to scrub at his hair with his fingers and claws. So, it would seem, so long as he took baths he knew to clean his hair, but the frequency of his baths were the problem.
A few minutes were spent in silence, with Inuyasha scrubbing his hair and body when His ears twitched at a noise.
"See, I knew this would happen the second I got in. I've got to chase this guy off, be right back."
Kagome shrugged. "Nah, I'll get out, it's been long enough," she commented as Inuyasha sprung out onto the bank to dress. She followed him onto the ground, squeezing out her hair. She barely reached her clothes by the time the hanyou man was clad in red once again. He sure did dress fast. Maybe the water temperature really had given him a chill?