Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hentai Bets ❯ Barriers & Other Forms of Protection ( Chapter 17 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

YOU are the reason I do it.

Youkos Kitsune - Musou’s marks come to light, and they’re not too happy about them. Kagome is still thinking about Hojo, but comes to a decision about Hiei and Kurama.
Halfblackwolfdemon - How about more Kag/Kur AND more Kag/Hiei? Poor Hojo is in for some bad treatment.
Purplebabe - The meaning behind the bite marks will be revealed in this chapter, -- also why Musou doesn’t just take her when he’s obviously able to get to her.
Starlet Angel - Is she mated to Musou now? Read on! I appreciate you following the story -- especially at work!! Hope this chapter is work the danger!
SadBrokenWings - Yeah, poor Kagome. She may not figure things out yet, but she’s going to choose a course of action anyway.
Underwater963 - Will this be Kurama/Kagome/Hiei? That would be telling, but I think you can see where it’s going in this one.
Todavialoca - The mission is coming to a head soon. The marks are revealed and explained in this one.
HeartStar - No, Musou’s not a vampire -- just a wacked-out youkai.
Gina_031552 - Glad you enjoyed Naraku’s flashing! I always thought that pelt had to have some meaning. More H/K on the way!
Inuyashagirl5 - Thank you! I’m so glad you took the time to read it, too! More Kag/Hiei coming up!
ChaoticKittiex3 - I’m glad you’re loving it! I’m a Hiei/Kag fan, too! (Also Kur/Kag and Sess/Kag). I am honored that you’ve added this to your favorites!
Bloodbunny- Thanks for coming over to read this! Glad you like it! I’ll try to stay in the closet -- it’s scary underneath beds! (Mean cats or not!) Glad you like the cast I gathered for this little fic. You just can’t go wrong with Jakotsu!
Darkestheart666 - I’m really glad you’re loving this story! I’m loving your e-mail and all those yummy compliments! I tried to e-mail you back, but it bounced -- I’ll try again.

*Formatting problems again, so I’m changing how I identify some forms of speech.*
talking
mental/telepathic conversations - *Y* -Youko, #K# - Kurama, +H+ - Hiei
(thoughts to self)

DISCLAIMER: I’ll never be smart enough, rich enough, talented enough, or lucky enough to obtain the rights to “Inuyasha” or “Yu Yu Hakusho.” And fat chance for making any money twisting the characters and/or settings to suit myself.

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Last time:
Like before, the heavy, moist air seeped into their lungs, slowing their breathing and inducing an unnaturally heavy sleep. When everyone had succumbed completely, the same tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped up to the barrier and looked around. Spotting the object of his desire, he walked through the barrier without hindrance and knelt down beside her, drinking in the sight of her as if that by itself could quench his need to possess her. He laid a heavily-laden bag down on the ground to free his hands so he could touch her.

He gently traced the planes and curves of her face -- her brows, her jaw, her delicate cheekbones, and her soft, full lips. Then he kissed her tenderly, cupping her face with both hands, before letting them slide down to part the neckline of the button-up top she was wearing to sleep in. Raising his head to gaze at her beloved face, he bared her left shoulder. Then he leaned back over and sank his fangs deeply into her flesh.
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As Naraku, Hiei, and Kurama approached Musou’s camp, they planned to split up and set up at different sites around the perimeter, much as Hiei, Kurama, and Kouga had done the night before. But when they got close enough to observe the camp’s activity, Naraku suddenly stopped and looked around sharply.

“What is it?” Kurama asked, sensing something was bothering the hanyou.

Naraku shook his head and held up a hand, motioning for them to wait a minute. Then he turned to them, concern etching a frown on his face. “Musou is not here.”

Both of the others quickly scanned the area. He was right. Musou was not in the camp.

“Do you think he has gone to the other camp?” Kurama asked. “Should we check?”

Hiei quickly unwrapped his bandanna to focus the Jagan eye in hopes of catching some thoughts about Musou’s whereabouts. After a few minutes, he suddenly turned and vanished in a blur of movement -- a dangerous-sounding growl echoing off the trees.

Naraku quickly turned to Kurama. “He knows something. Where is he going?” He asked the question even though he was afraid he knew the answer.

#K# - “Hiei, what did you find out?” Kurama reached out to him through their mental link.

+H+ - “That panther demon that escaped from us before -- he’s irritated because Musou left ‘to go to that woman again.’ We’ve got to get back to Kagome.”

“Hiei says Musou has gone after Kagome.” And the two of them took off back in the direction they had come from. But, even though they traveled quicker than they had coming out, it still took them a couple of hours to reach the camp where their companions were.

When they reached the campsite, they heard Hiei cursing and smelled the unmistakable odor of burning flesh. It appeared that Kagome’s barrier dome had held, but hadn’t been able to keep out the youki-laden fog that even now was still easily visible, though it was dissipating. Hiei was pounding on the dome, heedless of the smoke rising from his fists each time they came in contact with the purifying power of the barrier.

“Hiei, stop! You’re not going to break through, and all you’re doing is injuring yourself,” Kurama put his hands on his shoulders and tried to get him to calm down. “Musou is already gone. Now we just have to wake them up and see if we can find out anything. You can tell as well as I can that she’s still here, and everyone is alive. We just have to wait for the effects of the fog to lessen.”

As the fog continued to clear, they could make out the sleeping bodies of their comrades. It didn’t look like Musou had paid any attention to any of them, except for Kagome. But, to their growing concern, it was obvious he had spent quite a bit of time with her.

She lay there like some princess from an old, old fairy tale. Instead of the plain white button-up shirt and beige shorts she had put on last night to sleep in, she was wearing a long, silky red sleeping yukata with branches full of white sakura blossoms embroidered from the bust to the hips. A thin, pristine-white sash was tied at her waist. And there were fresh blossoms woven throughout her hair, which was artfully arranged with lots of tiny braids throughout the thick, wavy mass, which was billowing out around her in an ebony cloud. In her hands, lying across her abdomen, was a single, long-stemmed red rose. Beside her, in a small pile, lay a solid gold hand mirror and an ivory-handled brush and comb set. A beautiful ornamental bridal hair comb, decorated with rubies and diamonds, sat on top of the mirror. And surrounding these tokens, was a long, double-stranded necklace of perfectly-matched, cultured pearls.

Shippou began to stir, and Naraku barked at him to get everyone up. The others woke easily, -- everyone, that is, except Kagome. Hiei, Kurama, and Naraku were chomping at the bit, because until Kagome took down the barrier, they were stuck outside of it.

Coming to stand beside her, Yusuke let out a long, low whistle. By now, all of the others had gathered around Kagome, and were staring wide-eyed at her and the assembled treasures.

In a slightly squeaky voice, Jakotsu asked, “Are those what I think they are?”

“They certainly are,” Miroku nodded. “They’re traditional courtship gifts, such as would be offered to a young woman of noble birth. Since I am pretty sure Hojo didn’t follow her out here, I assume these are from Musou.”

“How the hell did he get into our camp again with her barrier in place?” Yusuke ran his hands through his hair in frustrated anger. “And why is she still asleep? Is she okay?” He bent down to shake her shoulder, but she just slept on.

“Well, it’s hard to tell from out here, but I’d guess that he just gave her a concentrated dose of his youki to make sure she didn’t wake while he dressed her and fixed her hair,” Kurama said, trying to reassure the others. He would have much rather checked her out himself, but that wasn’t possible at the moment.

Shippou had gathered her up into his lap, and was gently patting her cheek, trying to wake her. “Kaa-san. Kaa-san, wake up.” He was getting louder, and his pats were getting stronger as he became more and more worried. His concern grew until he suddenly leaped up and took off running with her in his arms. While no one could come in the barrier, those inside could go out. Of course, once outside of it, they couldn’t get back in without Kagome letting them.

“Wha …? Where the hell is he going?!!?” Yusuke shouted. They took off after Shippou, and heard a shriek, followed by a string of inventive curses that had them all raising their brows as they came to a halt by the stream where evidently Shippou had waded in and dunked the unconscious woman. They all breathed a sigh of relief at the evidence that she was, indeed, all right.

“Kagome-sama! I’m shocked -- I didn’t even know you knew half of those words, and I am almost positive that last one couldn‘t possibly fit there, though it might be fun to try.” A speculative look flashed over his face briefly.

Still choking and sputtering, Kagome shot Miroku an evil glare. When Shippou started to carry her back out of the stream, she scrambled out of his arms and made her own way to the bank, muttering under her breath. “You’d better have a damn good reason for this.” She stood there glaring at everyone, her wet hair dripping down her face and back. The yukata was molded to her body like a silky second skin, clearly outlining every dip and curve of her body -- including her nipples, which were erect and jutting out from the shock of the cold water. As her breathing was still somewhat labored from her dunking and anger, said nipples were receiving a lot of visual attention.

Hiei threw his cloak around her, his previous concern and frustration making him snap irritably, “Drop the wet clothes before you get sick, onna.”

“Are you all right, sugar?” Jakotsu asked. “We were really getting worried.”

Kagome frowned as she wiggled out of the yukata underneath Hiei’s cloak. “I’m fine, considering I woke up drowning in an ice-cold stream of water,” she said, her irritation plain in her tone. “What the heck is going on? And where the heck did this come from?” she asked, shaking the yukata at them. Her voice got progressively louder until she was shouting as she scowled at Shippou. “And why the heck did you throw me in a river when I was sleeping?!!? I’m not going to like the answers, am I?”

“You wouldn’t wake up. Musou sent that same kind of miasma-like fog into our camp and it put everyone to sleep again, but we couldn’t wake you up, so I thought maybe the cold water would do it. Are you sure you’re all right, kaa-san?” Shippou reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand.

Her anger melted away and she smiled at him. “Hai, I’m fine. You were worried, ne? Gomen. But, Shippou? Next time, could you just try splashing a little water on my face?” She looked around at everyone. “Well, come on. We may as well go back to the camp and see if we can figure out what Musou was up to.” Glancing at the sodden mess of silk hanging from her fingers, she grimaced. “Besides dressing me up like some doll,” she muttered, pulling a couple of wilted flowers out of her hair, “and making off with my underwear. Damn youkai and their hentai ways. Maybe I should start selling them on eBay. Why should the Japanese youkai be the only ones with them?” She continued to grumble while Jakotsu walked along beside her and patted her shoulder consolingly.

“eBay? Now why didn’t I think of that? I could have more of those calendars printed up …” Miroku mused to himself, flinching as he was hit in the head, first by Shippou, then Hiei, then Kuwabara. “Ouch! What? It was just a thought.”

A couple of minutes later, after the others had passed him, Kouga leaned over and whispered, “Enmaru wants one of those, too. They’re in color, right? I’ll take 3.”
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When they got back to the campsite, Kagome dispelled the barrier and walked over to her sleeping bag, staring in disbelief at the gifts Musou had left for her. “What in the world?”

“It would appear Musou is courting you in the traditional manner,” Miroku answered her.

“Hai, I recognize the manner of gifts -- Shippou will present Rin with similar items when he formally presents himself to Sesshoumaru. It’s the second step in his courtship, along with the challenge match. The third and final step being the true marking and mating, -- assuming he survives his challenge, of course.” She grinned evilly at Shippou. “But I’m not of noble blood or station, thank Kami!, so why would Musou do this?”

“Perhaps because he sees you as his future Queen? He could still be planning to create his own little army to wreak havoc in the Makai, as well the Reikai, -- maybe he wants to make a bid for power with you at his side,” Naraku said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “It’s what I would have done if I’d survived your purification.” A few dirty looks were sent his way.

“Ahem. Well, since Musou was one of your detachments, you could be correct,” Miroku said with a frown in Naraku’s direction, “However, it may simply be that he is paying homage to the nobility of your heart and spirit, Kagome-sama, and wishes to court you as a woman of your beauty and charm deserves.”

*Y* - “Well, damn. When did these ningen men start getting so good at charming women? First, it was that Hojo, now Miroku? It certainly explains his success with the ladies, because I’m sure the ass-grabbing wasn’t getting him laid. Apparently he has more weapons in his arsenal than the crass, direct approach. Who knew?” Youko was shaking his head in disbelief.

“Damn, Miroku! That was good. I knew that sooner or later you’d develop some better lines than that ‘will you bear my child’ crap. Nowadays you might be able to use that as an icebreaker, but if you want any real action, you have to lay it on thick and sweet. Nice!” Shippou slapped him on the back.

“Shippou!” Kagome gave him a warning glare.

Yusuke rolled his eyes at them and turned to Kagome. “Maybe I’m being stupid, but why didn’t Musou just grab you and mate you? He’s certainly been close enough to you twice now, and I know all this courtship crap isn’t necessary, thank Kami, because I’m not going through that with Keiko. And don’t any of you dare mention anything like that to her, either.” He gave his teammates a stony look.

“Well, he can’t mate me unless I accept him -- the miko powers in my blood would purify him during the marking unless I controlled them,” Kagome explained.

“So, he can’t mate you without your agreement. Couldn’t he just have sex with you?” Jakotsu wanted to know.

“What?” Kagome stared at him in shock. (Okay, Kagome. Didn’t even think of him doing that. But my underwear is missing.) She looked at Naraku -- the question in her eyes was obvious.

“He could, but he didn’t. He wants you to belong to him. It has to be forever. You’re still as virginal as ever,” Naraku reassured her.

“Aw. Too bad, sugar, not that we’d want this creepy Musou to be the one, but I was hoping someone would have helped you out with that by now.” Jakotsu looked pointedly at Hiei and Kurama. “We’ll find you somebody to fix that,” he said sympathetically, earning a few glares in return.

“Jakotsu!” Kagome yelled.

Kurama was still having a hard time believing Jakotsu was truly earnest in his desire for Kagome to find a lover to fill what he saw as an empty spot in her life, (though I shouldn’t be surprised about anything concerning those degenerates). He forcibly turned his attention back to something she had said. “Gomen nasai, but I thought miko powers were contained in the soul, not the blood,” he commented. commented.

“Usually that’s true. But I house the combined powers of my soul, Midoriko’s soul, and the residual holy powers the Shikon no Tama collected by constant purification being infused into it over the years. It all had to go somewhere, so, the power literally flows through my veins as well,” she told him.

“So, Musou has to have the Gem of Desire to make you his mate -- he has to make you want him. Is that how it works?” Yusuke asked.

Kagome, who was trying to wring out her dripping hair, just shrugged. “You know as much about it as we do. Lord Enmaru wasn’t sure how the Gem works. He said the scrolls seem to indicate it can incite and compel desires, but the information he had was incomplete.”

“That’s pretty much what Koenma told us, too. Kurama wondered whether or not it only worked on existing desires or if it can create them as well. I think we should operate on the belief that it can, otherwise Musou’s stated plans for it wouldn’t necessarily work. Unless you are harboring a secret desire for him?” Yusuke teased her, earning a glare for his trouble.

“Ah, but it might just enflame basic sexual urges that he could channel as he pleases. Remember he was also planning to mate hundreds of ningen women to the demons who are following him, and it is unlikely he will be looking for women who are already attracted to them,” Kurama pointed out.

“No kidding! There’s a whole lot of ugly running rampant in those camps.” Jakotsu shuddered.

Kagome was still standing and trying to pluck all of the straggly blossoms from her hair when Hiei came up behind her and took her hand, tugging her back to sit down with him on her sleeping bag, with her in front of him between his legs. She looked at him questioningly, but he just started untangling her hair, -- incinerating the offending flowers bloom by bloom as he tossed them away from them. Seeing the burns all over his hands, Kagome caught his wrists in her hands and asked, “What happened to you?”

Avoiding looking in her eyes, he just said, “Hn. Nothing.”

Naraku smirked as he told her, “In spite of his lack of previous success, he thought he could batter his way through your barrier, -- until his friend” he nodded to Kurama, “showed up and calmed him down, of course.”

(That was a funny way to say it.) Yusuke gave Naraku a strange look. (Oh, wait -- OH! Those guys have really been twisting their words to tease and mislead Kagome about Hiei and Kurama for a long time, haven’t they? No wonder a lot of the things they say have sounded so strange. Oh, man! They are evil. I just can’t wait until the guys find out -- they’re going to kill them! While Kurama has been accused of being gay or bi before, I know he’s completely straight -- in spite of Youko, and I know for a fact Hiei has never had anyone even think such things about him -- let alone hint at them or joke around like these guys are doing. When we get back, I‘m telling everyone about this mess they got themselves into!)

“Oh, Hiei, your poor hands.” She glanced up at Kurama. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them and he’ll be fine.” She turned her attention back to the hands she was holding, and summoned her healing powers, completely missing the slightly confused looks on Hiei and Kurama’s faces. The others, except Kuwabara and Kouga, had to turn away and try to stifle their need to laugh. Yusuke yelped, “Excuse me!” and raced out of the camp.

Kuwabara just made a slightly disgusted face. (Man! How could I not have known what was going on with them all this time? At least, as long as they have each other, I shouldn’t have to worry about Hiei trying to jump me. I hope.)

*Y* - “Hmph. As if we care that the little runt hurt his hands. Look at how he’s soaking up all the attention she’s giving him -- he’s practically purring at the way she’s touching him. She’s acting like he’s some kind of hero for trying to get through that barrier. Rotten, conniving, grandstanding little bastard.”

+H+ - “Jealous?” Youko could just hear the smirk in his voice. Kagome was running her fingers lightly over Hiei’s hands, making sure all of the burns were gone before placing a small kiss on the back of each one and asking, “Better?” He nodded in response.

#K# - “Now, now. It’s only natural that Kagome would appreciate him trying to make sure everyone was all right, and would want to heal him. And I’m sure Hiei wouldn’t take advantage of her sympathy -- would you, Hiei?”

+H+ - “Hn.”

*Y* - “Yeah, right. Anyway, it kind of sounded like she’s taking care of him because he’s our friend. So, it’s really just an indication of her feelings for us,” Youko said smugly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

+H+ - “I wouldn’t count on that, fox,” Hiei said as he quietly thanked Kagome, and then returned to his self-appointed task of ridding her hair of any trace of Musou’s attentions. As he unraveled the myriad braids woven throughout, he ran his fingers through the loosened hair from scalp to ends, smoothing and drying it with a little elevated heat. Kagome couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh as she relaxed against him. Then she giggled. When he leaned forward and looked over her shoulder at her, she covered her mouth with one hand and waved with other one -- signifying it was nothing. After all, just because he was gay or bisexual, it didn’t mean he would appreciate her thought that if he got tired of being a Spirit Detective, he had a great future as a hairdresser. She tried to stifle another giggle as she pictured him in a pink smock with his hands in some lady’s hair, telling her she would look fabulous with gold highlights.

Youko was irritated. *Y* - “You know what he’s doing, don’t you?”

#K# - “Yes, I know.” Kurama answered.

*Y* - “First he gave her his cloak to put on, then he has her sitting practically in his lap -- surrounded by him, and he’s running his hands all through her hair repeatedly. He’s making sure she’s completely covered with his scent.”

#K# - “I said I know, Youko. But at least he’s helping her get dry, too. And I’d rather his scent be on her than Musou’s.”

*Y* - “All right. Point taken. Rotten little, space-heater of a bastard.”

Jakotsu sat down by Kagome and Hiei. “Do you want to use the fancy brush Musou gave you?”

“No! I can’t touch any of those things or he might think I’m accepting him. I wouldn‘t want to lead him on.”

“Kagome-sama, I think you must be the only woman in Japan who would refuse to touch the extravagant gifts of an obsessive stalker of a youkai, who is planning to control you and mate you by devious means, just because you don’t want to hurt his feelings by giving him the wrong impression.” Miroku said with a smile and a small shake of his head.

“Oh, darn! I was hoping you were going to keep them. I would have liked to borrow those pearls for the next time I play ‘damsel in distress and marauding bandit.’ You have to have all the right accessories to maximize the fun, and my beads broke last time when my rogue used them to bind my wrists to my ankles. He was quite vigorous, you know, and the necklace just couldn‘t hold against all the …”

“Jakotsu! That’s way too much information,” Kagome groaned.

“Gomen, sugar. We’ve just got to get you over that chronic case of virginity so you can have some fun. And you can always fake it later -- some guys like that sort of thing. Makes them feel manly, you know.”

Kagome dropped her head and covered her face with both hands. “Oh, Kami. I’m surrounded by hentais. What chance have I got? Okaa-san never told me what me what to do in situations like this -- I don’t think she’d even believe me if I told her.”

Hiei gathered her up in his lap and tucked her head against his chest, shooting Jakotsu a nasty look at the same time. Then he nuzzled into her hair both to comfort her and to fill himself with her wonderful scent. As he inhaled, he frowned. He could still smell Musou on her. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was still stronger than it should have been considering he was surrounding her with his own scent. He followed the smell down past her cheek and jaw until his face was buried in the crook of her neck.

“Hiei?” Kagome was rather startled by his actions. She was even more startled when he suddenly turned her to face him and ripped open his cloak and pulled it down, exposing her neck, shoulders, and a good portion of her breasts. “Hiei!” (What the hell?!?)

“Hiei! What the fuck are you doing?!?” Having just returned to the camp, only to find the fire demon suddenly stripping the only clothing Kagome had on off of her, Yusuke wondered if he’d figured it all out and was trying to prove his manliness by taking her right there in front of everyone. (Holy shit! I should have known he’d go berserk. A little guy like him would have to be insecure about something like that.) “Hiei! That’s NOT the way to prove it!”

Having been focused on her neck and shoulders, Hiei hadn’t noticed how much of her was showing. His eyes widening, he quickly grasped the material and held it closed just above her breasts. “Gomen,” he grunted quietly, so Kagome was the only one to hear him. He was truly surprised Yusuke had figured out she had the marks on her. (Hn. Maybe I don’t give the baka enough credit.) But, he still thought the others should see them -- now that he had made sure nothing else was exposed. So, he turned her back around so the others could see as he pointed to her shoulder with his free hand. “He left more than gifts.” He glared at her shoulder as if he make them go away. Yusuke breathed a sigh of relief. (Okay. He doesn’t know. So what is he showing us on her shoulder?)

“What the …?” Kagome looked down at her shoulder as everyone else moved closer to see. Two small puncture marks were barely visible on her shoulder. They looked like they were fading away. But about halfway between her shoulder and neck, two larger, fresh-looking puncture marks stood out starkly on her pale, white skin. Kagome touched them gingerly and winced. “Ouch!”

“Wait a minute. I thought you said he couldn’t do that,” Kuwabara asked, very confused.

“Those aren’t mating marks, they’re courting marks. Shit. I should have realized he had done that when we saw the gifts,” Shippou growled. “That’s how he passed through the barrier.” Seeing the confusion still evident on Kuwabara and Jakotsu’s faces, he explained. “He must have given her the first one the other night. That would be the one on her shoulder. In traditional courtships, when the male first tells the female he wants to court her, he places a very shallow mark out on the shoulder. It gives him the barest of connections with her, yet still proclaims his intent. With that connection, her barrier, which is made up of her ki, would have recognized him as a potential mate and let him pass.

A second mark, deeper than the first one is placed further in towards her neck when the male presents his courtship gifts, -- IF he passes his challenge to the head of her family.” He smiled wryly at Kagome, and she smirked back at him. “In addition to making his claim stronger, it enables him to find her no matter where she might go, and he can call her to him.” He made eye contact with his mother as he emphasized this part. She nodded her understanding of the danger he was pointing out, and Hiei, having pulled his cloak closed around her again, pulled her back against him and tightened his grip around her waist. Shippou frowned at the gesture, but continued his explanation for the ones in their group who didn’t know the intricacies of youkai courtship and/or marking.

“The actual mating mark is placed at the strongest pulse point -- on the carotid artery in the neck, where the male will actually drink some of the blood where it flows strongest from her heart, yet is also close to the surface of her skin, while simultaneously injecting some of his youki so it flows through her blood. It’s symbolic of the trust she places in him by allowing him to wound her there, and also of the physical bond they share since it is done at the moment of their joining. And, of course the connection between the two is felt very strongly, -- imparting each other with a sense of their mate’s emotional and physical well-being, as well as a means of finding them and calling them to them. While courting marks will fade either after so much time has passed or when one is placed ahead of them, advancing the courtship, the true mating mark will scar in the symbol of the male’s house, youkai heritage, or power.” Hearing a slight snicker from his mother, he frowned at her. “And what are you laughing at?”

“Nothing!” she said quickly, but continued to giggle. As his frown increased, she said, “All right, all right. I was just thinking about a conversation Sesshoumaru and I had about this very subject. He was afraid your mark will turn out to be a spinning top or a pink bubble-creature.”

“What?!? Why that dirty, rotten, no-good, arrogant, flea-scratching hound! I haven’t used those childish forms of my ki and youki in 400 years!” Shippou’s face turned bright red in indignation and embarrassment, and he huffed and stomped away a few steps.

“He knows that, but he says that deep-down you’re the same childish, little brat you were back then. But don‘t worry -- I assured him that with your maturity, there was an equally good chance your mark would look like a sake cup with a naked, big-breasted woman in it.”

“Well, it‘s nice to know I can count on my Okaa-san to take up for me,” he pouted.

The others chuckled a bit at their banter, then Yusuke suddenly asked, “Hey! How was Musou able to mark her at all if her blood would purify him?”

Kurama thought about that, then offered, “Perhaps because the courting marks are not as deep as a mating mark, and are further away from her strongest pulse flow, the effects were minimal.”

“Yeah!” Kouga cut in. “Remember how Musou stayed in his tent all the next day and night? Maybe he had to recover after that taste of her purification power.”

Kurama nodded. “If that is the case, then he will probably be incapacitated for the next couple of days after placing a second, deeper mark.”

“That makes sense,” Yusuke said. “So, what do we do now?”

“Since sending her back to the Reikai is no longer an option, with Musou being able to call her to him, she’ll just stay next to me at all times,” Hiei calmly told them, “even if I have to tie her to me.”

“What?!?” Kagome protested.

“I don’t think so,” Kurama gritted his teeth at Hiei.

“Oh, now you’re talking, little sugarman. I’ve got a nice pair of handcuffs in my backpack you can borrow.” Jakotsu got up to rifle through his bag.

“Jakotsu, why did you bring a pair of handcuffs with you to go camping in the woods? Did you bring them along for anyone in particular?” Miroku asked suspiciously.

Jakotsu quickly stood up and faced them with large, innocent eyes, but gave Kuwabara a quick, nervous glance. “Uh, heh heh. Habit? I always throw them in when I pack an overnight bag, just in case.”

Kuwabara made sure there were at least 3 bodies between him and the really scary hentai.

Kagome was glaring at Hiei, while he just raised an eyebrow and looked at her nonchalantly until Kurama walked right up to them and stared down at him. “What makes you think she’s staying with you?” He asked in a menacing tone of voice.

Kagome looked up at him and gulped. (Oh, crap! Now he’s jealous of Hiei wanting to protect me. What is up with these two? They seriously need to go to couples’ counseling. And why do each of them keep coming back to me? Are they just trying to make each other jealous on purpose, or are they really that curious about being with a woman? And what the heck is wrong with me that I’m still sitting here practically in Hiei’s lap? Damn warm, comfortable, sexy youkai -- it’s just not fair!)

Seeing his mother’s discomfort, Shippou decided to help matters. “All right, you two, quit your posturing. You know kaa-san doesn’t want you to be upset with each other, so you might as well kiss and make up like good little boys.” Smoothing over the inflammatory remark so they wouldn’t be too suspicious, he quickly added, “We will all make sure that someone is with her at all times. And I suggest we shadow the ningen group when they arrive in the woods in the morning -- make that in a few hours. I’m positive one of them has the necklace and the demons will be after it.”

Again, their assorted companions were hard-pressed not to burst out in raucous laughter. Naraku gave Shippou an approving nod. He couldn’t have said it better himself. Kagome gave him a grateful look for his attempt to keep the peace before glancing back and forth between Hiei and Kurama hopefully. She really didn’t want them to be upset with each other.

*Y* - “Who does that snip think he is, talking to us in that patronizing manner? -- Like we’re a couple of children! ’Kiss and make up’ my ass. I’m going to kick his ass right after Hiei’s,” Youko grumbled.

#K# - “He’s right, though. Look at Kagome. She’s really worried about us fighting with Hiei.”

+H+ - “So should you be. But I’ll help kick the kitsune’s ass later, -- when my hands aren’t full.” Hiei rubbed Kagome’s arms in a reassuring manner as he settled himself even closer against her slight form.

Youko’s ears twitched agitatedly. *Y* - “We’re supposed to play nice with him? Look at him! He’s acting like … like …”

#K# - “Like you.” Kurama couldn’t help it -- he covered his mouth to hide the laughter threatening to escape. After giving a slight cough, he said out loud, “You’re quite right, Shippou, we will all be sure Kagome is protected at all times. We are all concerned about her safety, and we won’t let petty egos or feelings of possessiveness interfere, will we, Hiei?” At Hiei’s trademark, “Hn,” accompanied by a small grunt, Kurama continued, “And if we stay close to the ningens, we should be able to get the necklace before any of the demons with Musou do. So, if anyone wants to get a couple of hours of sleep, I suggest they do so now because we will need to pack up and get close enough to the village to trail behind the ningens when they start out.”

As everyone agreed, several of them made their way back to their sleeping bags. Yusuke complained once again about how he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since they started this mission. Then he chuckled to himself as he thought about what Shippou had said, (Damn that kitsune has balls!), and what Kurama’s response had been. (Those poor saps are playing right into that girl’s mistaken idea about them. Kurama might have been talking about Hiei acting possessive, but I just know Kagome thought Kurama was talking about him being possessive of Hiei. With Naraku and Shippou baiting them into making statements like that, neither of them is going to get her. I might want to change my wager.) As if summoned by his thoughts, Miroku and Naraku approached him to quietly discuss the current odds.
***************************************************************** *******


Shippou sat down next to Kurama, facing Hiei and Kagome, while Jakotsu was lying down on one side of them and Kouga was sitting on the other. Seeing all the bisexual males and the supremely disturbed, and disturbing, Jakotsu all over there together with Kagome, Kuwabara beat a hasty retreat to the far side of the clearing with the other three. He’d rather sit with the plain old hentais any day -- at least none of them were after him. Even that Kouga dude had been with Hiei -- what if he wanted to trade up to someone, well, bigger and more powerfully built? He was never going to sleep again.

Kagome started to move away from Hiei, but his arms tightened around her and he quietly whispered, “Stay.” She couldn’t quite control the shiver that ran through her or the unexpected pang of longing from somewhere inside that she didn’t want to think about. And she knew she shouldn’t. She knew nothing could ever come of it. She was treading on dangerous ground -- between two lovers, as it were, -- but it was just so hard to listen to her conscience when the rest of her was so content.

Although he hadn’t heard what Hiei had said to her, Shippou saw the brief flash of something akin to hope in her eyes that was quickly drowned out by anxiety and conflict. He turned slightly so he could study both the avatar and the apparition. Had he been wrong to let her go on believing what she did about them? There was no denying he was enjoying this whole competition between them. They were an endless source of amusement with the way they were vying for her affections and trying to keep their frustrations and tempers in check in front of her. This was much better than when Inuyasha and Kouga used to yell and fight, though that had been amusing, too.

But these two had his mother flustered in a way the others never did. Oh sure, she had definitely loved that stupid mutt -- hell, she had given him everything she had, everything she was: her love, her trust, her loyalty. She had even loved him enough to want him to be happy with Kikyou, and had given up part of her own soul after just getting it back and having it whole for the first time in 3 years, and had bound herself to the Reikai so he could be, -- putting his happiness above her own.

No, there was no doubt she had loved him. But Shippou was also sure she had never felt the passion he had seen flaring in her eyes several times since he’d joined them on this mission. He knew she was surprised by her own feelings. And these two youkai made her feel wanted and desirable. That was obvious, too. But that wasn’t enough, she deserved more than that.

He turned back towards the woman who had treated him like he was her own flesh and blood practically from the moment he had met her. He watched her as she finally relaxed back against the fire demon. He was intrigued with the way Hiei began running a hand through her hair. It wasn’t an absentminded gesture at all. He was actively watching the way his fingers slid through the dark mass that was spilling over her shoulder. Then he saw his mother smile as if she was thinking of something funny, right before she closed her eyes. And suddenly Shippou was struck by the similarity of expression on the faces of the two in front of him -- they both looked completely at peace. He focused on his mother’s face. She was never one to complain or be dissatisfied with her life, and she didn’t rely on others to make her happy. But he couldn’t remember seeing such a look of utter contentment grace her features except when they were around the family, or the few times he’d seen her meditating with Sesshoumaru. (How anyone could be so at ease around that damn emotionless, arrogant, overgrown Chihuahua is beyond me.)

He glanced over at Kurama again and noted the admiration and lust, mingled with anger dancing in his golden eyes as he stared at Hiei and Kagome. He saw Hiei rearrange her drowsy figure sideways across his lap, giving him access to all of the hair running down her back. Shippou shook his head at the demon’s obvious fascination with it. Wait a minute. Where was his other hand? Crap! She still didn’t have anything on under that cloak, did she?

“Hey! I’ll give you the same warning I gave him the other night,” he jerked his head in Kurama’s direction as he whispered threateningly, “I won’t sit by and let you behave inappropriately or disrespectfully towards her, so I suggest you keep that in mind before you rest your hand somewhere you shouldn’t.”

*Y* - “That’s not the same warning he gave us -- the snide little bastard accused us of molesting her. I’m beginning to think we should kick his ass before we kick Hiei’s.” Youko growled.

#K# - “Hmmm. Perhaps so, but at least he’s not letting Hiei get away with anything.”

Upon hearing Shippou’s words, Kouga narrowed his eyes at Hiei and growled, but he just ignored him as he turned the full force of his anger on Shippou. In an equally low and menacing tone, he snarled, “Do not think your connection to her will stay my hand if you ever threaten me again or dare to imply I would do anything disrespectful to her. Youkai disappear in the Makai all the time without their souls ever reaching the Reikai to tell what happened.”

Shippou gave a short bark of laughter. “Fair enough, -- as long as you realize my kaa-san’s safety and happiness are the only things I care about here, and I don’t make threats where she is concerned. Hell, I’d deserve to disappear if I just turned my head and let someone take advantage of her. You two want her? Fine, if she wants you. You want to help protect her? Great, I’m all for that. But neither of you has any right to act possessive of her. Neither of you has a legitimate claim on her. Shit! -- At the moment, the only ones with any sort of claim on her are the ningen who proposed to her and that freak Musou.” He stood up and looked away into the woods silently for a minute before saying, “Fuck. I deserve to have my head taken off for letting him mark her like that.” And he walked off, blending into the darkness.

Kouga got up and motioned Miroku and Naraku over, and the three of them went after him.

*Y* - “Well. That was quite a little speech he gave. Or was it a lecture?”

#K# - “As much as we may dislike him, you cannot fault him for having his okaa-san’s best interests at heart.”

*Y* - “No, I suppose not. We didn’t want anyone taking advantage of Shiori, and she was older than Kagome and a widow, too. But I still think he needs his ass kicked.”

+H+ - “Hn. He was right -- he deserves to have his head taken off.”

#K# - “That’s pretty harsh, Hiei.”

Looking down at Kagome, his left arm supporting her back as he held her to him, he touched her face with his right hand. He sighed, the sound unusual coming from him. +H+ - “I should have mine taken off as well -- I’m just as guilty as he is. I’ve been thinking of her as belonging to me, and yet I failed to protect her, too.”

#K# - “We all did. That’s why we will be more vigilant from now on.”

*Y* - “And you certainly don’t have to feel guilty about Musou getting to her when you’ve been considering her as ‘yours’ -- you should just feel stupid for thinking that in the first place.”

#K# - “I don’t think that was helpful, Youko.”

*Y* - “It needed to be said. He’s been acting like a kid who just discovered a new toy that he doesn’t want to share, even though it isn’t his to begin with. As much as I hate to admit it, that irritating, mouthy brat has a point -- we don’t have a claim on her, and he is her closest male relative. Even though they’re not nobility and we don‘t have to challenge him, he could challenge us and make us fight for her. Kitsunes are notoriously possessive of the vixens in their family, although we’re nowhere near as crude and confrontational as he’s been -- he must have picked up those traits by hanging around too many inuyoukai. Damn dogs, always wanting to just rush in and fight, no finesse at all, except for the Taiyoukai Sesshoumaru, of course.” He mumbled the last part to himself.

#K# - “Shippou hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to challenge us like that. You heard what he said -- he doesn’t mind if she takes a lover, as long as it’s her choice. And as for Hiei’s behavior, while it is undeniably annoying, we both know he’s never put himself in this kind of position before, and he just doesn’t know how to act. I believe that was pretty much the point you were trying to make when you challenged him to try to seduce Kagome in the first place.”

*Y* - “Aha! I knew it! I knew you agreed with me! You’re always trying to smooth things over to spare his feelings, or pride, but you know he doesn’t have the skill, talent, or even the basic social manners necessary to function around people, let alone seduce a beautiful, intelligent woman into his bed. As soon as he met with a modicum of success -- meaning she let him touch her -- he started acting like a dog with a bone. A green, multi-eyed dog with its fur sticking out all over.” Youko laughed at the mental image he conjured up and shared it with Kurama, who had to smile, too.

+H+ - “I know you two aren’t stupid enough to have forgotten I’m here. You may want to thank Kagome tomorrow for your head still being attached to your shoulders, because despite your words, you see where she is and who she is with, and I am not going to disturb her simply to spill your blood.” And then Hiei ignored them completely, in favor of enjoying the little time he had left to hold her like that before he would have to wake her for the day.
****************************************************************** ******


Not too far away, Kouga and Miroku tried to assure Shippou that he hadn’t failed Kagome, and that there was no way Musou was going to get his hands on her again. When their attempts to make him feel better fell on deaf ears, Naraku grabbed him by the arm and swung him around to face him.

“Are you done now, kitsune? Because you need to stop wallowing in your guilt and straighten up. Stop acting like a 100-year-old kit, you’re at least 550, aren’t you? What does it help for you to take the blame for what Musou did? The fact that he got past us is not a reflection of your weakness. You’re powerful -- we all are, -- hell, Kagome is incredibly powerful, but sometimes that isn’t enough. We weren’t overpowered, we were outsmarted. That fog-like miasma he has created is brilliant. It’s so natural-looking, we weren’t suspicious of it the first time. And the first time was all he needed to establish a connection with her that made getting to her a second time possible.

But we know what Musou has to have before he can complete his plans for her. We know that his fog can penetrate barriers. We know to watch her behavior in case he tries to call her to him. He won’t be able to get to her again, and even if he does, it looks like he’ll have to pry that little fire demon off of her, -- and it doesn‘t look like it would easy considering the way he‘s had his hands buried in her hair.” The corners of his mouth quirked up at the thought.

A slight smile crossed Shippou’s face at that remark. “He does seem to have a hair fetish, ne?” Who would have thought Naraku, of all people, would make him feel better about the situation? “You’re right. We’ll concentrate on our next move, instead of the last one. But, since you mentioned the fire demon, I’d like to talk to you two about him and the avatar,” he said, pointing to Miroku and Naraku. “Kouga, would you mind going back to keep an eye on them?”

“Sure thing, runt.” And with a smile and a salute, he was gone.

“What do you want to discuss?” Miroku asked.

“I was wondering if we should tell kaa-san she’s got the wrong idea about them.”

“Why? What has changed your mind about letting them convince her on their own?” Naraku frowned. It wasn’t like Shippou to make things easier for anyone -- especially someone who was trying to sleep with Kagome.

“You know as well as I do that she won‘t really be with either of them as long as she thinks they‘re already in a relationship. She feels guilty for letting things go as far as they have already. She‘ll back out so they can ‘be together‘, and, … she doesn’t want to have to break it off. I could see it in her eyes. I think that for the first time in a long time, she is letting herself really consider the possibility that she doesn’t have to be alone.”

Miroku closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “We agreed to let it go on as long as it didn’t cause her any real problems. So, if you think this is actually distressing her, we should tell her. Or at least tell them and let them figure out how to fix it.”

“I disagree,” Naraku said.

“You’re just enjoying watching them when you know they’re doomed to failure. Not to mention, the fun you’re having fueling the fire,” Miroku accused him.

“I won’t deny that I’ve been enjoying this tremendously, but you know I would not jeopardize My Miko’s chance for happiness.” He held up a hand to stave off their protests of his choice of words. “Listen to me. I said it before and I stand by it: if they want her -- really want her -- they need to make that plain to her. She needs to know that she is the only one they want. If she thinks they want each other as well, then they can’t be saying or doing the right things, can they? If neither of them can convince her of his feelings, then she won’t be happy with either of them. Yes, they‘re working under a serious handicap, but if one of them can overcome it, then you will know Kagome has no doubts or fears about the relationship. And you know what else? I think it‘s about time she stops letting life pass her by. Perhaps we should encourage her to pursue them.”

“What?!?” Shippou gave a startled yell. “If she made a move on either of them, she’d just end up flat on her back -- game over.”

“I’m not saying she should try to seduce them -- but she shouldn’t give up on them, either. She gave Inuyasha to Kikyou. She needs to learn to be a little bit selfish and to go after what she wants,” Naraku explained.

“Hmmm. I can’t say that I disagree with that. She does need to stop putting everyone else’s happiness above her own and understand that she deserves to be happy, too. Shippou, why don’t we talk to her about this, and if we can’t convince her to give it a try, or if one of them can’t convince her of his intentions by the time this mission is over, we will tell them.” Miroku looked back and forth between Shippou and Naraku.

“I still say, if they can’t make her believe they really want her above anyone else, they don’t deserve her,” Naraku stood firm.

“I just don’t want to see her unhappy. But what you say has merit, and I’ve had the same thoughts, too. I can’t believe those two idiots screwed everything up so badly. Especially the avatar! Hell, we kitsunes wrote the book on seduction. And that little fire demon wants her so bad, it’s a wonder the whole forest hasn’t erupted in flames.” Shippou rubbed his temples and groaned. “Crap! Maybe they’re not the idiots. How can kaa-san be so blind? When it comes to anything else, her instincts are spot on. When it comes to knowledge and strategy, you can’t question her intelligence. But when it comes to males, …”

“When it comes to males, all she can see is the back of an inu hanyou, who even though he wanted her, was always running off to be with someone else,” Miroku finished softly.

“Well, then. It’s about time for her to realize that it’s up to her to keep that from happening again, if she wants to bad enough.” They all nodded in understanding and headed back to the camp.
***************************************************************** *******

The two teams of Spirit Detectives had been shadowing the group of four ningen men for about 4 hours before the men stopped for lunch. They had been traveling behind and at the sides of the men in small groups, -- close enough to keep up, but far enough away not to be detected. As they all stopped, Hiei, Kouga, and Naraku moved in closer so they could hear what was being said.

The rest of the detectives settled down to eat some lunch themselves. Kurama seized the opportunity to spend a little time with Kagome as he volunteered them to go find some water to fill up the canteens. As they made their way silently through the trees, Kurama took a minute to study his companion. Kagome was dressed in a simple pair of khaki shorts that went to her mid-thigh and a plain, tan tank top. Her long, shiny, black hair was tied at the nape of her neck and Jakotsu had fixed it in a thick braid. He smiled appreciatively as he watched it swing from side to side, grazing her bottom, as she looked around for a stream or lake.

Seeing where his gaze was directed, Kagome could feel a slight blush rising on her cheeks. She thought about what Shippou and her teammates had said to her that morning. Right after everyone got up and gathered their stuff, her team had separated from the others as they all made their way to the edge of the forest so they could watch for the ningens. She wasn’t surprised when the topic of discussion for the morning turned out to be her lovelife. Again.

She was used to them urging her to get out and find someone. Or, of course, in the case of Naraku or Miroku, to take them up on their offers. Jakotsu seemed to have made it his personal mission to ‘get Kagome laid.’ And Shippou had spent way too much time this past year trying to set her up on dates with various youkai who he thought might be “worthy” of his mother. Hell! He had tried to set her up with Sesshoumaru! She laughed, remembering how disgruntled Shippou had been when he told her what he had said: “This Sesshoumaru has no need to engage in behavior best reserved for lower life forms. It serves no useful purpose and is unnecessarily taxing of one’s ki.”

This morning, Shippou and the others had accused her of wanting to wallow in self-pity and doubts. They told her she was a coward just looking for excuses to run, and a quitter who wasn’t willing to try to make things work. She would have been annoyed with them if she hadn’t found it so amusing. (Seriously, how stupid do they think I am? It’s obvious they’re just trying to goad me into continuing this odd relationship I’m having with Hiei and Kurama.) What they didn’t know was that she was desperately looking for an excuse to do just that. She wanted to know more about them, and she wanted to explore the feelings and yearnings they had awakened in her. She didn’t want to have to stay away from them -- even though she had an uncomfortable suspicion that some of the feelings she was having indicated there was more going on than just the amazing physical attraction she felt. So, she listened to them in silence, hoping one of them would actually say something that she could grasp onto. And there it was.

“It’s ridiculous for you to feel guilty about possibly breaking them up. They approached you, right? And they both told you they knew the other one was attracted to you and they were okay with it, right? If they’re having problems, it’s not because of you. As a matter of fact, you might be doing them a favor by helping them discover exactly what and who they really want,” Shippou told her encouragingly.

(Well, we all know that’s a load of crap, right? But, … darn it, I’ll go with it. It feels incredibly selfish and potentially dangerous, but when is someone like me ever going to have an opportunity like this again? It’s not like I have men -- or youkai -- lined up to be with me. So, okay.) “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll be sure to spend lots of time appreciating their many … talents. At least, until the mission is completed. We should have this all wrapped up in a couple of days anyway.”

They all stopped and stared at her. She giggled. “What? Didn’t you have any faith in your ability to persuade me? Or maybe you just underestimated how incredibly sexy Hiei and Kurama are, … or how horny I am?” And with that, she had walked on, leaving them standing there gaping at each other.

So, when Kurama had suggested the two of them go fill the canteens, she had quickly agreed. She still felt somewhat guilty, and a little nervous about letting things go on like this, but she also felt just a bit naughty, and a little excited by her decision. If she was going to go through with this, she might as well enjoy it. Breaking the silence, she asked him about his human family. He told her about his mother, then about his stepfather and stepbrother. When she found out his stepbrother was close to Souta’s age, they exchanged a few tales about nosey younger siblings. By the time they found a nice, clear stream, they were laughing and joking with each other.

“And there he was, with about 5 of his friends, waving one of my bras in the air. He charged them 100 yen apiece to look at my underwear!”

“That’s nothing. Shuuichi actually used to sell my boxers to girls from my fan club. I swear that’s how he bought his first bike.”

They both laughed. “A fan club? I can see that. I’m sure you drove the girls and boys wild in high school,” Kagome said with a wink Then she began filling the canteens. When they were all full, she stood up and waited for him to gather them all up and hand her some of them. When he bent over to pick them up, she giggled and said, “Nice view from here.”

Kurama froze. He glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, she was standing there with one across her chest propping up her other elbow while she stroked her chin thoughtfully and stared at his butt. At the surprised look in his eyes, she put her hands on her hips and said, “What? I’m not allowed to appreciate the beauties of nature?”

*Y* - “Ooohh! She’s in a playful mood, isn’t she?”

#K# - “So it would seem,” Kurama said with a smile.

*Y* - “Then let’s play!”

Kurama stood up and turned to face her. “If it’s nature you’re interested in, Kagome, I’ll be glad to give you a private tour.” And he stripped off his t-shirt and pounced on her, knocking her to the ground.

Kagome laughed and wiggled away, but he caught hold of her ankle and dragged her back. He straddled her hips and pinned her arms down. “Give up?” he grinned. She managed to pull one arm loose and ran it lightly up the bare skin of his side. When he shivered, she asked, “Are you ticklish?” Then she attacked. Catching him off-guard, she was able to reverse their positions as she let her fingers wander over his torso, searching out those sensitive spots. Unfortunately, she became distracted by the smooth, firm, naked skin she was feeling, and paused to take a better look. That gave Kurama the opportunity he needed to roll them both over again and begin his own assault. And Kagome was a lot more ticklish than he was. She was laughing so hard, tears were running down her cheeks. “Now, do you give up?” he asked with a knowing smile on his face.

“Oh! Stop! Just … just a minute, okay?” And when he let his fingers still, and smirked at her, she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down and said, “I never give up.” Then she kissed him. And as her tongue swept over his lips and he opened his mouth to let her in, she hooked her legs around his hips and rolled them once more, -- right into the stream. They surfaced, laughing, to the sound of applause, and saw Shippou, Miroku, Yusuke, and Kuwabara standing there.

“Kagome-sama, I am shocked. You cheated,” Miroku shook his head disapprovingly.

Shippou snorted. “She always cheats. Maybe not like that, but …”

Yusuke laughed. “That’s a funny way to fill canteens -- you planning to wring out your clothes into them?”

Kurama ignored him and stepped out of the stream and then turned and held out a hand to help Kagome. She giggled. Her hair wasn’t a problem since she had it in a braid, but Kurama’s hair was straggling all over his face and dripping down his chest. She reached up and tucked the wet strands behind his ears. Then she kissed him again, briefly. “You need a hairbrush,” she told him, and picking up some of the canteens, she walked over to Shippou and Miroku and left.

*Y* - “Did she just …?”

#K# - “Kiss us, tease us, and leave? Yes. Yes, she did.”

“Come on, Kurama. Those guys are planning to hike around for another few hours before finding a place to set up camp for the night.” So, carrying the rest of the canteens, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke rejoined the others.

When they arrived where the others were waiting, Kurama saw Kagome laughing, while Shippou frowned at her. Miroku and Naraku were watching her, and appeared to be having a serious discussion about something. And from the look Hiei was giving him, he was surprised his hair hadn’t caught fire.

*Y* - “What’s the matter, Hiei? You look a little hot under the collar,” Youko baited him.

+H+ - “You look like a drowned rat.”

*Y* - “Who am I to deny a beautiful woman when she wants to play?”

Hiei turned his back on him, and Youko cackled loudly. Kurama could swear he saw smoke coming out of Hiei’s ears. Just then, Kagome walked over and handed him a hairbrush.

“You’d better hurry if you’re going to change out of those wet clothes,” she said with a wink.

“Are you offering to help?” he leered back at her.

“No, she is not. We want to leave sometime in the next few minutes -- not in an hour or two,” Shippou said with a smirk, causing her to blush. As Kurama walked off into the trees to change, Hiei came over to talk to her.

“I didn’t pick up on any thoughts about the necklace or about a meeting with any demons from any of them. However, that baka ningen still hopes to meet up with us out here.” The others had gathered around to see if he had found out anything useful. “And your playmate is daydreaming about you and wondering where you went,” he told Jakotsu, with a disgusted look on his face.

“OOOoooo! Really? He was a fun one. Maybe I could meet up with him tonight. What was his name again? Hideki? Yuki?”

“Yoshida Masaharu. And no, you can’t meet with him,” Naraku said firmly, causing him to pout.

“Anything else interesting about the group?” Kurama asked as he rejoined them.

“Other than the fact that the other two are also fantasizing about coming across her out here, since that man mentioned she was supposed to be camping with me? All 3 of them lack imagination, as their favorite scenario involves catching her bathing under a small waterfall in the moonlight,” he said in a disgusted tone of voice.

Everyone turned to look at her. “Uh, … heh heh.” She waved her fingers at them and blushed.

“I would think at least one of them wouldn’t want to bump into you again,” Miroku said to Hiei. “Isn’t that Hatanaka Yasuo the one you roughed up in the dining room the first night?”

“Hn.” He mumbled something under his breath.

“What was that, Hiei?” Kurama asked with a smile.

“I said, they’re all hoping I get eaten by a bear or something.”

Everyone started laughing.

#K# - “So, was that all they were thinking about?” Kurama asked him privately.

+H+ - “Hai. I’m surprised you couldn’t smell their arousal from here. Disgusting degenerates. Ningen don’t respect another male’s claim at all. They all know she’s here with me, and they still think they can have her. That damn Hojo still believes she’ll accept his proposal.”

#K# - -“Um, Hiei? She’s not really here with you, you know.”

Hiei glared at him. +H+ - “Do you want the same headache I gave them?”

Kurama started laughing again. “You didn’t,” he said out loud.

“Didn’t what? Did Hiei do something to them?” Yusuke asked suspiciously.

“He gave them all headaches for thinking about her like that.”

As they all started laughing again, Kagome yelled, “Hiei! You shouldn’t do things like that.”

He turned his back to her. “Hn. They deserved it.”

“All right. We’d better go before they get too far away from us. Of course, they may be traveling slower now if their heads hurt.” Yusuke snickered.

Kagome walked up behind Hiei. “Come on. Quit sulking -- even though you are pretty cute when you’re grumpy.” She smiled at him and his eyes widened in disbelief as he felt a soft, but firm caress on his backside. She looked over her shoulder and winked at Miroku, then walked off, chuckling, to lock arms with an equally wide-eyed Jakotsu.

“You go, girl!” he told her, as they led the way back onto the ningen’s trail.

After staring after her for a few seconds, Hiei took off into the trees.

“Oh. No. She. Didn’t!” Shippou choked out.

The rest of them, who had been gaping at what just happened, turned to him. “She most certainly did!” Yusuke said.

Miroku held out a hand to Naraku and Shippou. “Pay up.”

“How did you know, monk?” Naraku asked, pulling out a small pouch full of yen.

“Let’s just say that I know from personal experience that appreciation of those kinds of assets must eventually be expressed,” he smiled at them.

Shippou just shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day that my very own Okaa-san would grope some guy’s ass.”

“You think that’s shocking -- I never thought I’d see the day that someone would grope Hiei, period.” Yusuke still couldn’t believe it.

“Groping is such a crude term. I’m sure Kagome-sama would agree. A gentle caress, a slight squeeze, -- it’s really an art form.” And they followed along, each lost in their own thoughts about this strange turn of events.
*************************************************************** *********


“Ouch!” Hojo fell backwards as a branch swung towards him and smacked him in the face, causing him to lose his balance. “When you move a branch out of the way, hold onto it damn it. Don’t just let go when someone’s behind you,” he snarled at the man in front of him.

“I didn’t push a branch out of the way,” Yasuo protested.

“Damn, Hojo. Not used to being in the great outdoors, are you?” Sakuzu Tokiya smirked. “That’s the fifth time you’ve run into a branch or tripped over something since lunch.”

Hojo glared at him. “It must be this pounding headache I have. I could swear that branch came out of nowhere, and those roots seemed to appear like magic.”

Off to the sides, Kouga and Yusuke stifled their chuckles.

+H+ - “How many times are you planning to trip him, fox?”

#K# - “How bad of a ‘sunburn’ are you planning to give him? He’s quite red already, and the sky has been overcast most of the afternoon.”

+H+ - “Hn.”

*Y* - “Don’t discourage him, Red.”

Shippou came up behind them and whispered, “Don’t think kaa-san doesn’t know what you two are doing. She’s going to kill both of you. Even if she does think you have cute asses.” It was all he could do not to laugh out loud at the sight of two full-grown male youkai blushing.
************************************************************* ***********


As the 4 men set up camp, the Spirit Detectives gathered nearby to discuss their own arrangements for the night. They knew there was a possibility the men would be attacked, or that one of them might try to sneak off to meet with demons. So, they were trying to decide on the best and most efficient way to be able to watch the camp. After many discussions on ways to split up and surround the camp on all sides, and who would pair up with whom, Kagome spoke up.


“Ahem. You know, the best way to keep an eye on their camp would be to join them.”


They stared at her. “Kagome-sama, if we did that, whichever of them is the spy for the demons would probably get a little suspicious, don’t you think?” Miroku asked her.


She rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t mean all of us.” She turned to Hiei. “Didn’t you say Hojo is hoping to bump into us? So, why don’t we stumble across their campsite? Surely, they will invite us to stay with them tonight. That way no one will get in or out of the camp without us knowing about it, and the rest of you can camp a safer distance away to better intercept any demons coming to attack. Hiei can contact Kurama if we need any help.”

It was a good idea. Hiei’s eyes lit up as he thought about the role he was about to play. It was a very good idea. Kurama frowned as he thought about the role Hiei was about to play. (Damn it. Why does it have to be such a good idea? He’s going to take advantage of the situation.)

*Y* - “Dirty, rotten, lucky little bastard.” Youko grumbled. Hiei smiled smugly at him.

So, Kagome and Hiei gathered up supplies and headed towards the ningen camp. As they broke through the trees and entered the clearing, the men there turned towards them in surprise. Kagome stepped forward first, and Hojo jumped up with a smile on his face.

“Kagome! How wonderful to see you!” He walked over to meet her, and taking her hands in his, bent down to kiss her. He had barely touched her cheek with his lips when a warning growl sounded from behind her. He looked past her to see that punk boyfriend of hers staring at him with narrowed eyes. Quelling the instinctive desire to step back, he acknowledged the other man with a brief nod. “Hiei.”


“Hello, Hojo. What are you doing out in the woods?” Kagome asked him.

“We decided to take a break from all the meetings for a few days, and the four of us thought it would be nice to do a little camping.” He looked at her intently.

By now, the other men had come over to greet the new arrivals. Tokiya stepped up next to Hojo and took possession of her hand, kissing it warmly. “It’s good to see you again, Kagome,” he said with a heated look in his eye. At this point, Hiei’s patience was wearing thin. (Kami! I was prepared to deal with the one foolish enough to propose after I told him to stay away from her, but now it looks like I’ll have to eviscerate this one as well.) Reaching for the hilt of his katana, he was annoyed to remember Kagome had made him put it in her backpack. So, he had to settle for stepping in front of her, forcing the other man to release her hand. He fixed his eyes on him in a threatening glare, which did cause Tokiya to step back. The youkai who were watching from positions nearby all tried to control their laughter.

“Um, Tokiya,” Kagome said, moving beside Hiei and nudging him with her elbow, “I don’t believe you’ve met Hiei. Hiei, this is Sakuzu Tokiya. He works for the same corporation that Hojo does.”

“Hn.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tokiya said, with a fake smile plastered on his face.

Looking behind Hojo and Tokiya, Kagome pointed to the others. “I’m afraid you kind of already met Hatanaka Yasuo. Yasuo, please excuse Hiei for his temper that night -- he was under a lot of stress.” Yasuo nodded, but didn’t make any move to step closer. “And the other gentleman here is Yoshida Masaharu.” Masaharu waved and smiled. “Nice to see you two.”

Hiei turned to her and asked, “And how do you know all these men, onna?”

Shippou snickered quietly, and Yusuke had to cover his mouth to prevent any sound from escaping. Kouga made a small choking sound before he got himself under control.

Kagome had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at him. He was enjoying this ‘jealous boyfriend’ thing way too much. “They are all staying at the resort, and I met them when you … had to leave for a while.”

“So they all tried to pick you up when they thought you were alone.”

“No, don’t be silly. They were very nice and polite.”

“Hn. Come on. We’ll keep going,” he said, taking hold of her arm.

“You don’t have to go. Why don’t you all stay here and camp with us, at least for the night?” Hojo offered.

“I don’t think so,” Hiei said coldly.

“Please, Hiei? I am kind of tired, and this looks like a nice spot. It’s even close to that small lake we passed just a few minutes back.”

“Hn. All right. We’ll set up our bedroll over here,” he said walking with her to a spot at the edge of the clearing, across from where the others had their sleeping bags laid out near the fire.

“You don’t have to move so far away. You can stay over here close to the fire with us -- it gets cold here at night,” Tokiya said.

“We stay warm enough,” Hiei told him before turning to Kagome. “Of course, you’ll have to find some clothes to sleep in, and try not to be so loud -- you wouldn‘t want to keep them up all night,” he said with a smirk.

They heard a thump, and then some rustling in the trees and bushes.

“Hiei!” Kagome yelled, blushing profusely. She grabbed his hand and pulled him close enough to whisper threateningly, “You are so going to get it for that.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he answered back, his eyes glowing.

Hojo glared at him disapprovingly, but Tokiya just laughed. “I see your boyfriend has quite a sense of humor.” Hiei quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Masaharu asked. “We were just getting ready to try our luck at fishing. Did you say you saw a lake nearby?”

“No, we haven’t eaten yet, and hai, there is nice little lake just a few minutes walk from here. Why don’t we show you the way, and then I’ll start a stew while you fish. Hiei can catch a couple of rabbits or something for it. He’s a very good hunter.” She smiled at him sweetly.

“That sounds good. Let’s get started,” Yasuo said. And the 4 men gathered their gear and waited for Kagome and Hiei to show them the way. Kagome followed behind Hiei, and Hojo quickly took the place by her side. The others asked how far they had hiked around in the woods, what kind of animals they had seen, how much they had brought and how much hunting and fishing they had been doing. Kagome answered their questions, and asked them similar ones, and what their plans were.

When they got to the lake, Hojo leaned over and whispered, “I want to talk to you later, okay? Have you been thinking about us?” His breath was warm on her ear, and she shivered as a warm tingle spread down the back of her neck. She looked at him and said softly, “Hai, I have. Perhaps we can talk after dinner.” He reached out to touch her face, but Hiei stepped between them.

“Do you want to try to catch some fish, or be fed to them?”

Hojo stared at him. Who was this thug that he threatened him so easily and without hesitation? He had to get Kagome away from him. “She may have come here with you, but that doesn’t mean she’s leaving with you.”

Hiei made a grab for him, but Kagome grabbed his arm. “Now, now. Too much testosterone in close quarters. We’ll see you back at the camp, Hojo. Come on, Hiei,” she pleaded with him. He gave her a nasty look, but let her pull him along.

They walked back in silence, and when they reached the campsite, Hiei grabbed her by the shoulders. “What are you doing?”

She gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you encouraging him? You are not going to say yes,” he frowned at her fiercely.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“You will not marry that ningen,” he told her.

“Why not?” she asked, irritated at the way he was telling her what she was going to do.

In answer to her question, Hiei pulled her roughly against him and swallowed her protests in a savagely possessive kiss. He wrapped one arm tightly around her waist, and wound the other hand up in her hair at the nape of her neck. He tilted her head and violently demanded access to the tender recesses of her mouth. When she didn’t respond immediately, he tightened his grip in her hair until she cried out, then plunged inside, determined to dominate and devour her until she yielded to him. Unable to do anything more than clutch the front of his shirt in her fists, Kagome held on desperately while her world spun out of control.

Ever since she met him, he had awakened feelings and desires in her she had never felt before. But this: this blind, overpowering, driving need she sensed from him right now made her feel like she had ceased to exist as a separate person. It was as if her only reason for being was to sustain him. Hiei could feel himself losing control. He had to let go of her before he transformed and threw her down and made her his -- even if she purified him to ashes in the process. When he wrenched himself away from her, her knees gave out and she sank to the ground weakly. They stared at each other for a minute, and then he turned and started to run off.

Confused, Kagome cried out, “Hiei! Where are you going?”

“To kill things.” And he was gone. As he raced away through the forest, he sought out Shippou. Some of their group were sitting around eating the birds they had caught and roasted for dinner. When he stopped in front of Shippou, the kitsune looked up at him questioningly. “Watch her,” was all he said before he disappeared further into the trees and the falling darkness.

When Shippou reached the ningen camp, Kagome was still sitting on the ground with a dazed expression on her face. Her hair was half out of the braid it had been fixed in and was hanging in wild disarray down one side of her face and over one shoulder. She looked like she was in shock. “Kaa-san? Are you okay? What happened?”

“I don’t know.”
********************************************************** ***********


Hiei had blurred through the campsite, dropping off 7 rabbits, 3 birds, and a small wild boar. When Kagome had tried to talk to him, he just said, “Later,” and left again. Shippou waited with her until they heard the men returning. She had cleaned the meat, and cut up one of the rabbits and the birds for the stew. The rest were cooking alongside the boar on a spit she had made over the open fire.

When they asked about Hiei, she told them he was taking a walk. She prepared some herbs for them to rub the fish in before cooking them, and soon they were all eating contentedly.

“Kagome, I had no idea you were so skilled in wilderness living. This food is delicious! I can’t believe you prepared all this in such a short amount of time,” Hojo praised her. The others all added their compliments, too.

She smiled. “Arigato. I’ve spent a lot of time camping out in the last few years.”

After a few minutes of silence, Tokiya spoke up. “How did a beautiful, intelligent, charming woman like you end up with a rude, psychotic, little jerk for a boyfriend?”

“Hiei’s not like that,” she said indignantly. “Not really. He just doesn’t get along with strangers very well.”

Tokiya gave a bark of laughter. “That’s an understatement.”

Hojo reached out and took her hand. “Seriously, Kagome, you don’t have to be afraid of him. I won’t let him hurt you -- I’ll protect you.”

“Oh, Hojo, no. I’m not afraid of him. Really. He would never hurt me,” she looked into his eyes, willing him to believe her.

“Well,” he looked at her doubtfully, “just remember you can always come to me if you need help.”

“Arigato, Hojo. But I’m fine. If you all will excuse me, I think I will go to the lake to clean up before bedtime.” She stood up and went over to gather some clean clothes and bath items.

“I’ll go with you. You shouldn’t walk around in the woods alone at night,” Hojo told her as he got up and walked over beside her.

“Oh, no. That’s okay. I’m sure Hiei is nearby -- I’ll get him to walk with me. Maybe we can talk some more when we get back, all right?” In a softer tone, she said, “Gomen nasai. I need a little more time to think. I’m … confused right now.”

He smiled and hugged her. “It’s okay. Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. And I want you to take my proposal seriously.”

She nodded as a sudden cool breeze sent a chill down her spine.
**************************************************************** ********


Kagome didn’t run into Hiei, or anyone else for that matter, on the way to the lake. It didn’t concern her, though, because she was too lost in thought to wonder about it. (Hojo. He loves me and wants to marry me. I really do need to give his proposal the serious consideration it deserves. He’s such a decent guy. He’s even willing to take on Hiei to protect me, the poor baka. And what was going on with Hiei earlier? For a minute there, I thought maybe he … Nah. Not possible. Is it? I mean, do I really think he would leave Kurama for me? And what was that feeling that came over me? It was like I could have just given myself over to him completely and it didn’t matter because he was the only thing that mattered. Why doesn’t that scare me? That should scare me.)

When she reached the lake, she scanned the area briefly before quickly sliding out of her clothes to dive into the water. She shivered as she surfaced from the water. She had known the water would be cold and wanted to hurry and get out. “Where’s a hot spring when you need one?” she mused aloud. It took a few minutes to find an area shallow enough for her to stand in. But, there was a shelf about 10 feet out from the shore where the water only reached her breasts. She had to swim back to the edge of the lake to get a handful of shampoo and then back to the shelf so she could stand still and lather it up in her hair. She had just dunked herself to rinse it out when she heard a splash. Cursing under her breath, she realized she had forgotten to put up a barrier, and reflexively summoned one.

Just then, she was wrapped in a strong embrace and pulled back against a warm, broad chest. She felt a low, deep chuckle rumble against her back, and couldn’t suppress a shiver when she heard his voice and felt his lips graze her ear. “The barrier is a nice touch. Finally, we can have some privacy.”
******************************************************* *****************
End Chapter Seventeen