InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Strike a Pose ❯ Into the wilderness with ye! ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Into the Wilderness with ye!

“We truly are in the middle of nowhere” Kagome said as she spun in a circle admiring the surrounding trees, swinging her satchel from an arm and nearly braining a passing Sesshoumaru with it. He gave her a derisive glare and continued to amble on. She had no idea where she was going; none of them did, except Sesshoumaru who was leading with a loathing attitude.

“Hn” Kikyo did a contrite impersonation of Sesshoumaru as her skirt got caught in some brambles, effectively trapping her. She didn't do anything, just glared at them as if they'd wither under her stare and Kagome giggled. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and freed her skirt with a neat clip from his claws. He glanced up at Kagome and balked.

“Hey, wench look out!” he shouted

Kagome, who had been walking backwards along the path in order to watch Kikyo's antics, widened her eyes at the Hanyou in surprise before she fell over the root that was sticking out of the ground rather comically and landed on her ass. Her hands flailed out and she inadvertently stuck one into a knot of brambles, hissing as her delicate flesh tore and she began to bleed.

Sesshoumaru paused as he smelt the first traces of her blood, his beast panicking as he caught the scent of something that his beast felt they should never smell. He turned to see her wince as she retracted her arm from the bramble trap.

He was by her in the next moment “You are a clumsy one Miko” he commented

“I'm not clumsy, invisible gremlins keep tripping me up” she muttered

“Again with the gremlins” he raised a brow and yanked her back onto her feet again, slightly more gentle with her than he would have been with anyone else. Once he was certain she was on her feet and unlikely to fall on her ass again he gripped her arm above the cuts and looked at intently at them. They weren't particularly deep but they were dirty. “Did you pack anti-bacterial wipes?”

“Um... no” she said frowning at her torn up arm

“You won't be able to do the shoot with a torn up arm” Kikyo frowned

“There is a way around that” Sesshoumaru stated magnanimously

“No way” Inuyasha whispered as Sesshoumaru bent his head to her wounds and began to lick them clean and close them also.

“Ah!” Kagome jumped as his tongue encountered her flesh and then started wriggling as he started to lick; it was halfway between tickling her and feeling strangely nice. So in her indecision she settled on wriggling manically in his unforgiving hold on her arm in between muffling her whimpers. She had no idea what she was whimpering for, either to get him to continue or to stop she had no clue. But whimper she did.

Sesshoumaru pulled away and Kagome's eyes widened as her blue eyes locked with his now red ones. He stared at her for a moment before gold swirled within the incandescent depths, claiming back its territory. “Let's go” he said locking his hand around her wrist he dragged her behind him.

“Hey, let go, I can walk you know” she protested as he dragged her as one would drag a sack of potatoes.

“Obviously not” he pointed out causing her to give her own rendition of an angry growl which only succeeded in making Sesshoumaru smirk.

Kikyo was about to head off after them when she noticed that her Hanyou companion was seemingly comatose and just sort of staring in front of him blankly.

“What's wrong?” she asked waving a hand in front of his face.

He blinked a few times and looked at her blankly “Huh?”

“I said what's wrong?” she asked tilting her head to one side

“Nothing much” he muttered before picking up the pace again. There was no way he was going to tell Kikyo the implications of what Sesshoumaru had just done. That little trick was not widely known outside the Inu clan and it was certainly not used on just anyone. Mostly it was only used on mates or on the person they were courting. Not that Inuyasha hadn't begun to suspect that Sesshoumaru felt that way, but this was actual confirmation and it had momentarily stunned him.

Sesshoumaru paused, causing Kagome to nearly barrel into his back and loose her balance.

“Why'd you stop?” she asked

“We are here” he told her bluntly like the answer should have been obvious.

She peeked out from behind his back and looked at the old fashioned hot springs.

“So cute!” she squealed causing her Yokai companion to wince

“How can a building be cute?” he questioned

“Easily” she told him rolling her eyes

They approached the traditional Japanese styled Hot springs resort and were greeted by an elderly, balding man stood on the porch dressed in a yukatta.

“Master Sesshoumaru I presume” the old man said “you remind me greatly of your father”

“I am Sesshoumaru” he acknowledged “are you Myoga?”

“Yes” the old man nodded and turned to smile a little gap-toothily at Kagome “You must be one of the Higurashi sisters!”

“Kagome” she allowed

“You do resemble your mother, but your eyes are indeed a rarity”

“You know my mother? She did not give that impression when she spoke of you” Kikyo voiced as she and Inuyasha joined the three.

“You must be Kikyo and yes I did know your mother, she is an old friend” he smiled “though the last time I saw her she was only this tall” he indicated around a metre with his hand he shook his head wistfully “Ah, yes, your room follow me”

They turned to follow Myoga and something clicked in Kagome's brain “Did he just say room? As in singular?”

Kikyo gave her a worried look before they rushed to catch up with their friends.

“Here you are” the room was quite large at 30 tatami with three separate rooms and a bathroom included. The girls breathed a joint sigh of relief and Myoga smiled at them.

“I thought you said it was one room, this is huge!” Inuyasha exclaimed in a disappointed tone

“Why do you sound disappointed?” Kikyo asked sweetly and Inuyasha tensed, for Kikyo to be injecting that much emotion into her words could not bode well for him. He turned round to see both Kagome and Kikyo glaring at him, each equally pissed and murderous looking. He darted a nervous look over to his brother whom merely grinned at him as he continued to talk to the old Myoga.

Sesshoumaru's smirk grew wider as he heard the thump of Kagome's formidable right hook before there was silence. No more rambling from the Hanyou, it seemed Kagome had put a stop to that.

Kikyo rolled out her futon and dumped her bag next to it stretching her arms abover her head Kagome followed suit.

“This is our part” Kagome gestured

“You're dividing the room?” Sesshoumaru asked “do you take me for a pervert?”

“Well he certainly is” they all looked down at the floored Hanyou, still face down as she had left him “It might be hereditary”

He frowned “there was me thinking all hope had been lost”

“What?2

“You used the word hereditary, I wasn't aware you knew words of more than one syllable” he replied tossing his hair

She fought the urge to pull the gorgeous silver locks and instead fantasised about cutting them off and perhaps using them to make a Sesshoumaru fur jacket. The idea was oddly tempting.

“What's she fantasising about?” Inuyasha asked, partially recovered and looking at Kagome warily

“I don't know” Kikyo looked disconcerted “but the goofy grin usually signifies pain on someone else's part”

“I can still hear you guys” she sang happily before snapping out of her daydream “We have an entire half a day until the shoot begins tomorrow so to the hot springs!”

She jumped up grabbing her yukata and Kikyo before they rushed away. Sesshoumaru watched them go into a hot spring and grinned thanking the god of perverts for Kagome's thoughtlessness. They were the only guests in the inn until the other model and the photographer and such came tomorrow. He walked back into the room and smirked grabbing his own yukata.

“What's with the smirk?” Inuyasha asked

“You shall see” his smirk widened

The hot spring was old but still as inviting as ever, the steam rising of its surface into the cool air enticed Kagome and she gave in. She shuddered slightly as the biting cold made her nipples stand on end as if standing to attention; `ouch I'm cold'. She slid into the heated depths gratefully.

“This is amazing” Kagome said leaning back against the rock, her towel discarded on the side of the spring.

Kikyo slipped in next to her sister and sighed in bliss “It's so amazing, I can't remember the last time I was in one of these”

“I can, we were fourteen it was our birthday you stayed in too long and fainted from the heat” Kagome reminded her

Kikyo wrinkled up her nose “So did you”

“Let me bask in one of your few shortcomings sister, it is not often I am allowed to, you seem to have no problem bullying me about mine” Kagome told her

Kikyo splashed her gently “I seem to have been replaced in my duties by a certain demon however”

“I wish you'd take them back, I don't have as many comebacks against him. His eyes scramble my brain” Kagome admitted

“Are you infatuated dear sister?”

“Are you found of your head?”

“I'll take that as a yes” Kikyo chuckled softly and then the two Mikos with their backs to the doors behind them stiffened as they opened. They spun sharply around to see both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, clad only in towels walk up to the side of the spring.

Kagome squeaked and fell back into the spring and Kikyo hid behind her hair.

“I think my brain melted” Kagome commented upon resurfacing and proving that they truly were there. Kikyo nodded her agreement.

Sesshoumaru was still wearing his wicked smirk and then he abruptly dropped his towel. Kikyo who still wasn't looking failed to react and just kept staring at the water like it would swallow her.

Kagome on the other hand squeaked again and turned back around, abruptly turning bright red and wondering what the hell was happening as both Inu brothers joined the sisters in the spring.

Kikyo was shocked out of her strange comatose denial as Inuyasha took up residency beside her and she shrieked as her sister had done before making sure her breasts were actually properly concealed below the water.

Kagome on the other hand was still trying to get over seeing Sesshoumaru clad only in a smirk. She didn't know he had stripes there, she'd seen him only in a towel before but now she had discovered exactly what those twin stripes pointed at and she was having problems wrenching her mind from the gutter. She could imagine how much harder this quest to stop being Hentai was going to be when droplets of water were caressing the tones sleek muscles... she desperately tried to yank her mind back on track but once again failed miserably.

Sesshoumaru smirked obviously pleased by her reaction to him and then winced when she seemed to recover herself enough to scream.

“What the hell are you two doing in here?” she demanded jumping to her feet in outrage “get out!”

“We have every right to be here” Sesshoumaru said haughtily “it is a Konyouku* after all”

“This is a mixed sex hot spring?” she squeaked

“You should really check where you are running” he pointed out

She gave him a scathing look and he just looked at her wondering when she was going to realise. Not that he minded the view he was currently enjoying was not without it's perks, those dusky hardened nipples being only one of many delights.

She seemed to realise what he was looking at for she very abruptly sat back down and glared at him, her arms folded defensively over her chest.

Sesshoumaru turned his attention away from her momentarily as he realised his brother and Kikyo were being silent. Whilst for Kikyo silence was the norm for Inuyasha it was blatantly not.

They were both sat there, staring at the water in front of them, blushing like fools. Apparently after getting in the springs any confidence Inuyasha may have possessed had abruptly bolted at a rate of knots.

“Is it normal for Inuyasha to be that colour red?” Kagome asked

“Probably not” Sesshoumaru commented

“Well I've had enough of this weirdness” Kagome proclaimed frowning as she realised her towel was too far away to just grab it and run. “Close your eyes so I can leave?” she said to Sesshoumaru

Her heart sank when she saw the smirk that had settled upon his features she had a funny feeling he wasn't going to let her out.

“And if I refuse?” he asked raising a brow and smirking

“Aw, come on that's not fair” she wondered if throwing a temper tantrum would help her situation any. She doubted it but damn it was tempting.

He looked at her stonily and she wondered how exactly she was going to get out of this one.

“Please?”

“You are free to leave Kagome” he told her smiling “as I am free to stay here”

“You're not very nice” she pouted

“Thank you” he said still unrelenting as he folded his arms. Kagome glanced back at Kikyo for help to find that she still hadn't moved. Kagome sighed and splashed her sister.

“Now is not the time for going into shock!” she scolded

Kikyo shook her head and sort of came to her senses. Regardless of being the more confident of the twins she was incredibly nervous when naked and as such had been reduced to a Kikyo shaped wreck.

“Why are they in here?” she questioned in her usual `could care less' tone.

“It's a Konyouku” Kagome explained

“You didn't check this before hand?” her voice was dripping in sarcasm

“No” Kagome sighed “but neither did you!”

“I was kidnapped”

“You still messed up, only it was passively” Kagome insisted worrying her lip between her teeth and turning over possible escape routes in her mind. Unfortunately there weren't any.

They all jumped in shock as a splash, then a bubbling gurgling noise was heard. They turned back to the forgotten Inuyasha who was face down in the hot spring water. All eyebrows were raised simultaneously.

“He fainted” Kikyo said disbelief evident in her tone

“It was too much for his tiny mind” said Kagome sniggering as she grabbed him by the scruff of his hair and pulled his face up and out of the water so that the Hanyou didn't die. A wicked gleam entered her eyes and she turned slowly and stealthily, keeping everything of interest under the water at all times, she walked over to Sesshoumaru towing the Hanyou by his hair.

“What are you doing Miko?” Sesshoumaru demanded

“Think fast” she ordered heaving the Hanyou at him with an almighty splash.

Kikyo sprung from the spring faster than the splash died down and wrapped herself securely in the towel. Kagome caught her thrown towel from her sister and rose from the water with it wrapped around her. Ignoring the glaring eyes of Sesshoumaru.

He watched Kagome's ass as it disappeared through the sliding doors and let out a disgruntled sigh as he yanked Inuyasha out of the water by a tuft of hair. Never let it be said that Sesshoumaru never looked out for his brother...

***

They sighed in twinned contentment and looked up at the moon dappled sky.

Kikyo dropped her towel and Kagome raised a brow.

“What's with the swim suit onee-chan?”

“There be perverts about” Kikyo imitated something like a cowboy and Kagome giggled

“But you're wearing a string bikini, hardly the least revealing choice” Kagome pointed out

“But it covers the most important areas” Kikyo pointed out “I brought one for you too”

Kagome made a noise that was a cross between a groan and a sigh. “But if it's yours my ass will hang out!” she protested

Kikyo rolled her eyes “No it won't; besides I brought yours”

“Because you didn't want me to stretch one of yours” Kagome replied flippantly

“I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise, I've been trying that for my entire life” Kikyo knocked gently on the side of her little sisters head “you need your head looking at”

Kagome rolled her eyes and quickly and succinctly donned her swimming suit.

“I'm glad we decided to ditch them” Kikyo said as she slipped into the water

“Yeah, it's not like they realised we were there anyhow” Kagome grinned and did a strange imitation of a breast stroke across the spring that wasn't large enough to swim in. “Who knew a Yokai and a Hanyou could get so competitive over Ping-Pong?”

“I lost interest when the ball started moving too fast for human eyes to discern it” Kikyo nodded and raised a brow “you sure this isn't a Konyouku?”

Kagome stuck her tongue out at her sister who raised her eyebrow further and then dissolved into giggles as Kagome pounced upon her and began tickling her older sister to within an inch of her life.

Crack. The sound rung through the air and they both jumped in shock. They turned slowly to see a cat yowl at them as it sprung from the overhanging Sakura tree and away.

Three seconds later the cracked branch hit the floor with a groaning thump and even though it was anticipated the twins flinched again.

“That scared me half to death” Kagome confided slowly, pressing a palm over her rapidly beating heart.

“Yeah”

A twig snapped. But this time it wasn't a cat.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, currently located on the other side of the hot spring tensed as they heard the synchronised scream of the Higurashi twins...

A/N:I still don't own Inuyasha, but a girl can dream. Thanks for reading and please review.

*A Konyouku is a mixed hot spring just so you know!

Thanks go to these people on FF.net: XxHaku-Spirited-Away-RoseXxXx, Whitecloud1, Moonlight X Luna and darkpsychoqueen

And on MM.org thanks to yashkags4eva

On Dokuga big thanks goes to WhiteRose-Kurama: enough perverted stupid-ness to satisfy you? No? Me neither there will be more to come!

jaimesesshy aren't you lucky? You get ANOTHER present! Am I getting repetitive?

Debra Timson: Thanks for kicking my ass and getting me to finish typing this *hands you a cookie*

Ameire: here you go my friend, go forth and feast!