InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Exchange ❯ Sleeping Arrangements ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AN: Yep, second chapter of this update ^_^ Also known as chapter eight. Don't worry, I'm still working on updating all the other fics, but right now I've written a lot for this one so I'm updating more quickly. I don't know why I wrote more though...

Anyway - Presenting chapter 8!!













So ul Exchange

Sleeping Arrangements

















Kagome groaned as she came round. Her head hurt and there was something wet and sloppy against her cheek. She turned her head slightly and came nose to nose with a big black dog. She stared for a moment before the dog suddenly began licking her face all over with it's huge WET tongue.

"Aw - yuck!" Kagome sat up straight away and wiped at her face. "Dog breath... ew..."

"Glad to see you're awake." Sango smiled as she came over with a bowl of stew. "You hungry?"

"Um..." the bowl was set down before her, but before she even had a chance to sniff it, the dog bent his head and began slurping it up. "Actually, I'm not too hungry."

"Kiroi! Go chase Kirara!" Sango pushed the dog's head away. "Sorry - you can have it now."

Now drool was mixed in with the stew... Funnily enough, Kagome still wasn't hungry. "No thanks..."

"Are you ok? What happened?" Sango asked heedlessly. "Inuyasha said you just fainted. He was worried about you."

"He was?"

"Well... in his own way..." Sango waved a hand vaguely. "He told me to take it easy on you. And he checked by a couple of minutes ago to see if you were awake. Don't really expect him to do that often."

Kagome tuned out as she remembered what she'd seen... had she just envisioned Kikyo's death?

"So what happened to you? He said you went on a trip before you passed out." Sango sat down on the bed mat beside her.

Kagome looked around and realised she was in Sango's personal quarters. "I saw Kikyo dying..."

Sango stilled and looked a little surprised. "Wow... you did? What was it like?"

"Everything was in black and white... I couldn't hear what was going on... but the place was falling down and Kikyo was causing it... Inuyasha was yelling something to her and then everything just whited out."

"That's... that's pretty damn accurate - how did you do that?" Sango stared at her.

"I don't know... I was just standing there being threatened by Lord Inuyasha and then suddenly there was a flash... and all I could see was the past?" Kagome shook her head. "That sounds so weird..."

"But that's just what happened when Kikyo died." Sango shifted. "Are you some kind of psychic? Can you see into the past like that a lot?"

"Not... really..." Kagome ran a hand through her hair. "That was a one time thing, I hope."

"Sounds creepy..."

Just then Kagome realised something. "Where's Fushi?"

"Oh - Inuyasha picked him up a few minutes ago. He's babysitting for me."

Kagome winced. "You sure that's wise... Inuyasha doesn't strike me as the responsible father type."

"You'd think that wouldn't you, but no. He quite likes Fushi actually." Sango said as Kiroi, the big black dog, tried to slobber on her shoulder, she pushed him away. "Fushi's safe with Inuyasha. He's the one guy I can depend on."

"What about Fushi's dad?" Kagome asked hesitantly. She remember the man Sango had been arguing with when she'd first arrived here.

"He's not around anymore." Sango said evenly, rubbing her pet's ears. "He doesn't live on the island."

"So who was that man that you beat up when I-"

"Oh him? Just the babysitter." Sango rolled her eyes. "Won't use that moron again, I can tell you. He may have been human but he got sent back to the mainland by Lady Inu this morning."

"Oh..." Kagome nodded. "So is Fushi's father human too?"

Sango nodded with a slight smile. "Miroku... he left a year ago... hasn't returned either. I don't think he even knows about Fushi..."

Kagome frowned slightly. "Why don't you go look for him?"

"I can't leave the queen unattended." Sango shook her head. "Besides... it's not like it would be a walk along the beach to find him quickly. I doubt he's remembered me after all this time... I doubt he's been faithful."

"Were you married?"

"No..." Sango gave a humourless laugh. "I suppose he has at least half a dozen other women like me trailed along in his wake. I don't need guys like him anyway..."

Kagome didn't say anything more. It seemed like a sensitive subject for the girl... she didn't want to push her luck.

Sango stood with a sigh. "I have to go check on the Queen now. Will you be ok?"

"Sure." Kagome smiled. "I think I'll just mosey on down to my room now, thanks."

Sango paused at the door and gave Kagome a strange look. "Are you sure you're a princess... you don't talk like one..."

"Um... pretty sure..." Kagome said slowly. "I just knew a lot of village people when I was young, I must have picked up the bad accent there."

"I don't know... you seem humble for a Princess." Sango smiled.

"Sorry..."

"No - it's a nice change." Sango grinned. "I get tired of the stuck up cows from the mainland that come to court Inuyasha. It's nice Lady Inu found a half decent one like you."

She left before she had a chance to see Kagome blush. The thought of Kagome coming to court Inuyasha was not far off...

Kagome left Sango's quarters then to head back to her own rooms - only getting lost the one time. But she did get herself turned around a little on the way to the royal rooms. She opened the door to her room, before realising it looked different. Perhaps the Inu hanyou sitting on the bed gave it away... but she quickly realised she'd just found the wrong bedroom.

"Oh - sorry!" She said quickly, upon seeing Inuyasha look up from where he was bouncing Fushi on his knee."

"Hey - are you ok, girl?" he asked suddenly before she could leave.

Kagome stopped and turned with a small smile. "Yeah, thanks."

"I hope I didn't terrify you into shock." He smirked before looking serious. "Did I?"

Kagome smiled. "No... I just... it was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Who said anything about being worried?" he said shortly.

Fushi gave a baby laugh from his position on Inuyasha's knee. Kagome flicked her gaze to the child and moved over toward the bed, missing the look that Inuyasha gave her. "You're good with children."

Inuyasha frowned slightly. "I'm just looking after him. Big deal."

"That's nice of you..." Kagome smiled and sat down beside him without invitation. "Sango's a busy girl. She needs all the help she can get. And being the Prince... I wouldn't expect you'd feel obliged to help her."

"Sango works for my ma. And ma treats her like another daughter... who works for her... but anyway, if she's like my sister then this little guy is like my nephew." Inuyasha shrugged. "I've known her my entire life. Of course I'd help her."

Kagome watched him while his attention remained fixed on the baby. "You're not as tough as you make yourself out to be are you?"

"Of course not..."

Kagome smiled.

"I'm tougher." Inuyasha glared at her briefly. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"You invited me in here?" Kagome guessed.

"Bull. You invited yourself." He snapped.

Kagome played with the thought of leaving before she remembered something she wanted to ask. Perhaps she'd get slugged for it... but she had to try. "Do you know what the Shikon no Tama is?"

Inuyasha stiffened slightly and Fushi squirmed restlessly. "Why?"

"I'm... I'm looking for it." Kagome said slowly. "It belonged to Kikyo... and I... I need to return it to our family."

A complete lie, but she wasn't about to tell him that she needed to use to hide from a demon that wanted her to kill him. That wouldn't sit well with him... probably...

"It belongs to me." Inuyasha said bluntly.

"No, it belongs to me." Kagome said. "I'm Kikyo's cousin - her blood relative."

"So?" Inuyasha glared at her. "She was going to give it to me."

"Going to?" Kagome picked up on what he'd said.

"She didn't get it to me." Inuyasha frowned slightly as Fushi began to cry, obviously sensing Inuyasha's stiffness. "She gave it to a warlord to give to me because she couldn't get it to me."

"Why not?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily. "There was another warlord that Kikyo met some time after she met me. He fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. As part of the agreement she would hand the Shikon no Tama to him as a wedding present."

Kagome listened intently. Since when had Kikyo been engaged to a warlord?

"Kikyo didn't want to marry him... but since the lord prevented her from coming to see me, she gave the Shikon to the warlord of Inaki - the place she was staying at. She intended for me to go and get it later if I couldn't have her."

He paused and Kagome waited for a him to go on... hoped he would go on.

"The warlord found out what she'd done and cast her away. He only wanted the jewel and so he came to the island thinking that I had it. He arrived, he attacked us... I killed him."

"And then what happened?"

"Kikyo's mind had been tricked by the warlord. She arrived some time later with some stupid beliefs that I'd fooled her and played with her heart - saying that I had used her to get the Shikon and she wanted it back. When she found out that I'd killed the Warlord, she went psycho on us all and started attacking us."

"Wow... that doesn't sound like Kikyo."

"She attacked everyone. Me... my mother, my father, the guards... and Sango. And Sango was heavily pregnant at the time." Inuyasha sighed. "So I attacked Kikyo to defend everyone... and she just got madder at me, screaming that I had used her. Then she literally blew everything up."

That fit the scene Kagome had seen in her vision. "Who was the warlord?"

"Naraku."

Kagome froze so suddenly, and her heart skipped a beat. Suddenly Naraku's motives all fell into place.

"Her powers must have overwhelmed her... she couldn't handle them and she lost control." Inuyasha continued. "She was stuck on her own beliefs... stupid girl..."

Kagome was quiet, trying to handle what she'd just learned. Who should she trust? Naraku or Inuyasha...?

The answer to that wasn't a hard decision either.

Naraku just wanted petty revenge for some past misunderstanding.

Suddenly Inuyasha sat up. "I can't believe I just told you all that."

"Maybe you just feel comfortable around me?" Kagome tried to smile, but it was somewhat forced and false. She was still trying to picture how it had all happened. "Anyway... if you had the Shikon would you give it to me?"

"It's with my father... and even if I had it I wouldn't give it to you on a whim." He gave her a hard look. "Even though it's of no use to me..."

"Never mind then..." Kagome sighed, feeling a little put out. First she'd have to find Inuyasha's father before she ever found the Shikon no Tama... not an easy task by the sound of it. "Well, I'm off the bed. And I think Fushi needs to sleep to."

"Yeah, I'm taking him back to Sango anyway." Inuyasha stood up along with Kagome and moved to the door. "Night, Kagome."

Kagome stopped short, and quickly glanced over her shoulder as Inuyasha moved away down the corridor with the baby dozing lightly against his chest. He'd just used her name for the first time that she'd noticed. And he'd even offered a farewell. Kagome shook her head slightly... perhaps she'd imagined it.

She was about to go into her room before she spared another look at Inuyasha. He really was good with children, wasn't he?

(tell that to Shippo...)





^_^





It must have been heading towards midnight when Kagome sensed, rather than felt, something within her room. She knew who it was without having to see him.

"Eye spy, with my little eye, something beginning with big, ugly, smelly, baboon." She told the shadows.

"Frankly, Baby, I'm hurt." He stepped out of the shadows but Kagome refused to look at him.

"You were the one who caused all this mess." Kagome said slowly. "You tricked Kikyo and then you wanted Inuyasha dead just because he might have the Shikon."

"Perceptive girl." Naraku commented quietly.

"Pathetic man." Kagome countered and sat up. "You want me to kill him because of a little feud."

"He killed me, Kagome. THAT'S why I want revenge. That's why you are going to kill him in order to get your soul back." he smirked, "I heard you had a little flash of the past this morning, Baby."

Kagome shot him a sharp look, but didn't say anything.

"You're more like Kikyo than you like to admit." He laughed softly. "I suppose hanging around her death place must have allowed you to pick up some of her vibes... some of her power. I expect you to have more of them later."

"Is that why you chose me to do your work?" Kagome asked suddenly. "Because I can see things that have happened in the past?"

"Possibly... or maybe I just chose you because you were there, you were naïve and you were stupid." Naraku stepped back into the shadows. "Or maybe I just used you because you're her cousin. The next best thing beside Kikyo herself..."

Naraku was gone before she could say anything else. She sat upright, thinking for a while before finally falling back down on her soft mattress and pulling the covers over her head.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep. And it wasn't long after that, that another presence entered her room.





^_^





Inuyash a stirred restlessly in his bed and pushed the covers off. It seemed unbearably hot that night... but that's what he got for living on the more tropical side of the island.

He yawned widely, and stretched for a few seconds before turning to look out the window. The moon was still up there and it was still dark... morning wasn't coming any time soon. With a groan he flopped back down on the bed and covered his head with the pillow.

Just then, the discreet sound of the door sliding open caused his ears to prick up under the pillow. He listened intently, until he heard the sound of heavy breathing enter the room, and something with clawed feet stepped its way towards his bed. Inuyasha pretended to be asleep and waited...

Something wet and slimy and cold touched his bare calf and he jumped with a yelp, throwing his pillow off his head and sitting up like a bolt.

"Kiroi!" he yelled when he saw the big black dog beside his bed, licking his foot. "Get out of my room you mangy mutt!

He picked up his slipper from the floor beside the bed and threw it at the dog, making him skitter out of the room again. With a growl he threw himself back down onto the bed and thumped the mattress. "Stupid dog... get your own room..."

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes, desperately trying to clear his mind and fall asleep. But it was no use. He was disturbed by the amount of information he'd told Kagome earlier that evening. He'd told her things he hadn't even felt confident enough to share with his mother or even Sango...

He didn't know why... but he felt he could trust her.

It was a naïve and stupid feeling. He couldn't and shouldn't trust anyone at all. Not right now. He had threats from Sesshomaru and Kouga... and this girl was probably the one person he should never trust. She was Kikyo's cousin... and she was involved with Kouga. Or at least HAD been involved with him...

Obviously the girl had something wrong with her eyes if she'd managed to fall for that blockhead.

The smell of smoke tickled his nose and he sneezed slightly before settling down again. Only then did he realise that he shouldn't have been smelling smoke...

He shot out of bed at once and ran to the door, following the trail of smoke.

It was coming from Kagome's room.

At once he ran forward and yanked the door open, only to have flames burst into life and sweep out at him. He raised his arms to shield himself and tried to see past it all to the bed. "Kagome?!"

She wasn't crying out or struggling... maybe she was still asleep. He coughed as the smoke invaded his lungs and tried again. "Kagome!!"

She didn't respond and if he didn't do something the whole palace would burn down. The majority of the building was made of wood and stone... but mostly wood. It would burn to the ground in a matter of minutes if he didn't stop it.

But first things were first... he had to save the girl before she perished in the flames or inhaled too much smoke. So without thinking too much about it, he charged through the flames and didn't stop till he reached the bed - practically the only part of the room that wasn't alight.

He crouched beside Kagome and shook her shoulder. "Hey! Wake up! Your room's on fire!"

She didn't wake up... striking a small note of fear inside of him. What if she'd suffocated. He grabbed her at once and tossed her over his shoulder, noticing how limp she was. He turned again and quickly charged for the door again.

Once he was through it he slammed the door shut and dumped Kagome on the ground. His next stop was his mother's room. She woke up the minute he opened the door. "Quick - get the servants and some water - Kagome's rooms lit up!"

His mother took a moment to process what he'd said before getting out of bed and dashing down the hall to get help. Inuyasha went back to Kagome and dragged her further away from the burning room.

Once he was a satisfactory distance away he dropped down beside her and placed a hand over her mouth and nose to check for air. It wasn't coming.

"Come on stubborn cow..." he sat her up by the shoulders and shook her hard, trying to shake her awake (obviously doesn't know CPR). "Come on!"

Amazingly, the jolt he'd given her was enough to get her breathing again. She began coughing and wheezing at once, grabbing a fist full of his Kimono to cling to while she coughed the smoke out of her lungs. Inuyasha steadied her shoulders hesitantly while she tried to get her coughing under control.

"What..." she broke off in another series of coughs... "What happened?"

"Your room was on fire." Inuyasha frowned at her. "You ok?"

Kagome nodded, but continued to cough, her eyes watering from the effort. Smoke smudges covered her clothes and face, and her hair smelt strongly of smoggy smoke. "I'll be ok..." she managed eventually. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it..." he looked up as servants arrived carrying pales of water and charged into Kagome's room, splashing the contents here and there. Kagome refused to let go of Inuyasha's shirt the entire time, still struggling to breathe.

A few moments later Lady Inu arrived back with Sango trailing along behind her, looking half asleep. "Is everything ok?" the older woman asked when she pushed her way through the Inu Youkai to look at the room. "Is it out? - Give me that - if you want something done right you have to do it yourself!"

"Your mom's tough for a human..." Kagome whispered to Inuyasha. He just nodded.

"Are you ok, Kagome?" Sango slurred as she crouched down beside them. "God you're a mess... you better come take a bath now..."

"Please." Inuyasha pried Kagome's hands off his shirt to hand her to Sango. "She's gonna make me sneeze in a minute."

Kagome gave him a light push as she began coughing again. Unfortunately he wasn't as easy to push as when he was human, so she didn't accomplish much. He smirked as Sango guided her away down the hall to get cleaned up. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to see his mother holding up a crisp bundle of cloth.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Sniff."

He did, and immediately drew back. "Sake? Was Kagome drinking?"

"No... I think someone went into the room, set alight to this alcohol and then left the room to burn down." His mother said sternly. "Someone tried to kill Kagome."

Kagome frowned at her. "That's a little far-fetched... who would try something stupid like that?"

His mother looked back at the servants and guards who were still busily dealing with the smouldering room. She beckoned him away from them and turned her back to them. "You know what I've been saying lately..." she whispered. "Sesshomaru must have spies planted in this palace... I reckon one of them did it."

Inuyasha sighed deeply. She was right of course. Sesshomaru would have spies planted in this palace, just as Lady Inu had a few planted in Sesshomaru's kingdom.

"But the main question now is where is Kagome going to sleep?" Lady Inu looked back at the damage.

Inuyasha shrugged. "She can take one of the other royal rooms and-"

"Nope. They're being renovated. She can't stay in those." Lady Inu pretended to look thoughtful. "Where could she stay...?"

"Sango has a spare-"

"I know!" Lady Inu interrupted him quickly. "She can stay in your room!"

"What?!" he barked at her. "Are you crazy?!"

"Possibly." She shrugged easily. "She's a Princess Inuyasha, she's not fit to sleep in servants quarters. She's had a scare no doubt... poor girl probably needs someone big and dashing to protect her."

Inuyasha's protest was on the tip of his tongue. She wasn't a princess - she was a peasant! She could sleep in the stable for all she was worth - NOT in his room! "Ma - there is no way that she is sleeping-"

"Have a heart Inuyasha. I'm not asking you to sleep with her." His mother patted his arm. "Just let her sleep in your room until I can sort the other rooms." And hopefully they would give into their throbbing animal desires during some point in the night and in the morning - ta dah!

A suspicious thought crossed Inuyasha's mind. "Since when were these rooms being renovated."

"Since... er... yesterday. Yes." His mother nodded quickly.

Inuyasha folded his arms. "Fine. She can have my room. She can have my bed too while she's at it. I'm not sleeping in there tonight anyway."

"But-"

"Can't sleep, too bad." He started walking away. "I guess she'll be pleased to have the room to herself."

"But Inuyasha-"

"No - I don't want to hear it!"

"But you have to get dressed first!" His mother called after him. "Unless you plan to walk around in your night clothes?"

He paused, looked down, before pivoting and stomping past his mother to go back into his room, slamming the door behind him. His mother smiled faintly. Well, at least she'd managed to get Kagome into his room at night... now all she had to do was get him in there as well.





^_^





"Here's a cup of water. Goodnight Kagome!" Lady Inu waved cheerfully as she shut the door to Inuyasha's bedroom behind her. Kagome surveyed the room carefully in the darkness, trying to find her bed mat.

There was no second bed after all... and since she certainly wasn't sleeping on the floor, she moved to the bed and sat down on the edge. Wasn't Inuyasha going to be sleeping here as well? It didn't look like that was the case...

Hesitantly she lay down and pulled the cover over her body, settling down slowly. She sighed and breathed in deeply... taking in Inuyasha's smell. It seemed to surround her there... She'd often noticed that he smelled VERY nice when she'd had the opportunity to get close enough to him. He sort of smelled like a cross between fresh washing, herb oils... soap... and some distinct musky personal scent.

In his bed the smell was more concentrated... and strangely she felt safe just where she was. Despite her earlier scare, she found it easy to fall back to sleep... almost as if he was holding her.













A N: Next chapter - 'Full Moon'