Crossover Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Journey to the City of Endless Night ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven

Inuyasha watched as Kagome slept from his spot on the floor in front of the door. The blankets covered everything except for her eyes and forehead. She burrowed further in as the sunlight streamed into the small window. He sighed, his arms crossed over the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Last night had been eventful to say the least and could have gone differently. He knew that Sesshomaru had the potential to turn on them, although he had not done thus far. He looked through the tiny window, staring off into space. A soft step brought him back to Kagome as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, stretching. “A bed! It's always so nice to sleep in a bed.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Feh. Whatever.”

She stood, grabbing a hairbrush from her bag. “It's a nice morning. What's making you such a grouch?”

“Nothing.” He yawned.

“Did you go to sleep at all after the whole incident with the flashlight?” She tapped the brush on the palm of her hand.

Inuyasha looked away from her. He growled. “No.”

“Why not? You know, if your brother was going to do anything he would have by now.” She pulled the brush through her hair.

“That's not the point.” He avoided looking at her. All he could think about was her in that dress and how stunning she looked. He shook his head, trying to dispel the images. Inuyasha eased himself off the floor, placing Tetsusaiga back at his waist. Ever since he had begun traveling with his older brother he felt threatened, especially when it came to Kagome. Inuyasha sighed. He knew that his brother would have no interest in Kagome, but none the less his presence made him uncomfortable.

“I wonder if we'll have breakfast brought to our room. I'm hungry.” She sat back down into the blankets, pulling the brush through her long, raven locks. “You know, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru didn't want anything except to know what a flashlight was.”

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Feh. And what would have you done if you had to tell him about where you're really from? I don't trust him.”

“That's what you said last night. I still say if he was going to do something, he'd do it by now. I have a funny feeling he's not exactly over the moon about Naraku, either. What good would it do to use my time against me?” She set the brush down on the night stand table.

Inuyasha cocked his head to one side. “Over the moon? Whatever. I just don't trust him.”

Kagome stretched, her belly exposed by the lifting of her shirt as she lifted her hands far over her head. Inuyasha tried to keep his gaze from her as much as possible. “Well, I'm going out to the main room to see if we have any breakfast. I'm famished.” She yawned, heading towards the door.

Inuyasha stood his ground, not letting her pass. He had his arms crossed tightly. “You ain't going out there without me.”

“Fine. I'm hungry. Let's go.” She brushed past him, opening the door. Inuyasha followed close behind, wary. Kagome rolled her eyes. The little girl sat in Sesshomaru's lap as they looked out the window. She said, “Good morning Rin-chan, Sesshomaru-sama. Did you sleep well?”

Rin nodded, smiling wide. “Rin slept very well.” Sesshomaru didn't respond except for a slight nod of his head. Rin slipped out of his lap, crossing the room to Kagome and Inuyasha. “I'm hungry.”

“So am I. Let's find someone to get us something, shall we?” Kagome opened the door to the hallway, looking around for anyone who might know where they could get some breakfast. A tall woman with dark hair approached. “Excuse me, is there any way we could have breakfast brought here?”

“Certainly. It'll be there in about ten minutes.”

“Thanks.” Kagome reentered the room, sitting down at the table. Inuyasha stood protectively close to her, glaring in the direction of his brother. Sesshomaru seemed indifferent as Rin eased herself back into his lap. He nearly groaned when Kagome went back into the room they shared, bringing out two pieces of candy. She said, “Rin-chan, would you like a treat while we wait for breakfast? I give these to Shippo all the time. He really likes them a lot.”

Rin clapped her hands, looking up to Sesshomaru. “Can I, Sesshomaru-sama?”

Sesshomaru looked from Rin to the outstretched palm of Kagome. Inuyasha stood close behind her, watching his brother's every move. He eased Rin down onto the floor, picking up a piece of candy with his clawed fingers. He turned it over in his palm, looking at the odd wrapper. Lifting it to his nose, he sniffed. Sesshomaru unwrapped the unusual item, sniffing it again before he eased it into his mouth. He nodded to Rin that she could do the same. Kagome smiled. “It's called caramel. It's sweet and creamy and chewy.”

Rin chewed hers slowly, smiling. She clapped her hands, hugging Kagome before climbing back into Sesshomaru's lap again. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, seemed more perplexed by the candy than anything else. The chewy elasticity of caramel confused him as it seemed to be an endless chewing exercise. Kagome suppressed a giggle as she watched the Demon Lord struggle. Inuyasha kept himself close to her should anything happen. He watched to make sure nothing would go wrong. Kagome asked, “Well? What do you think?”

Rin said, licking her lips, “It's yummy. I like it very much.”

Sesshomaru finally managed to finish his piece of candy. “It is unusual.” He didn't say if he liked it or not. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, then stiffened when his brother said, “Might you have more of those with you for Rin.”

A knock came to the door, disrupting the brewing tension in the room. Kagome turned, opening the door letting a servant bring in breakfast. Inuyasha sniffed, smelling the different food items being placed upon the table. Five platters were placed down, each holding a different type of food. Kagome thanked the servant before sitting down at the table. Inuyasha shadowed her movement, sitting down next to her, placing himself in between Kagome and Sesshomaru. He most certainly was not willing to take any chances with her.

Kagome grabbed an apple from the tray holding different fruits. She then took a pastry, along with some tea. “Inuyasha, aren't you going to eat anything?” She glanced over at him as she prepared to eat.

Inuyasha glared at her, before grabbing a hunk of cheese. “There you happy now?”

A knock came to the door, disturbing breakfast. Kagome opened it, finding the old man on the other side. She nodded, letting him in. Belgarath looked at the table and shook his head. “Well, I see it's the rule of domesticity here.”

Inuyasha nearly choked on his food, then muttered, “Who you calling domesticated, old man?”

“Calm down. I just came to tell you that we're taking off to Mishrak ac Thull with in the hour. We'll camp on the border at night.” He scratched his short beard. “Now, just how do we get up the side of the Escarpment without a whole lot of noise from translocation? If I tell that clumsy grandson of mine we'll have every Grolim from Rak Hagga to Cthol Mishrak knowing our location.” He seemed to be talking to himself. “Knew we should have headed north through the fens into Gar og Nadrak. It's easier than climbing that cliff.”

Sesshomaru sighed, his only outward expression of irritation. He stood, crossing the room to the window. Inuyasha kept his eyes glued to his brother's movements. His brother remarked, “There is no way to climb this cliff?”

“Oh, most certainly, but it's tedious with the horses. And with Hettar along he'll baby those horses far more than he'll baby anyone else.” Belgarath sighed. “This was Beldin's idea. We could have just as easily used the path around the Escarpment but that'd add on months. No, no, we'll just have to find a way to get everyone and the horses up on that cliff on the other side.” He turned to exit. “I'll let you finish your breakfast. Just be ready to go in an hour.”

Kagome sighed. She finished her apple and tea quickly, remarking, “Well, I suppose I should get ready after this or we'll never make it in time.” She stood, crossing the room, Inuyasha following her every move. He glared at his brother, noticing the very slight upturn of his lips. Kagome grabbed her bag and returned to the main room, pulling out her toothbrush and some toothpaste. She crossed to the small table with the water basin by the door. Inuyasha stood not far from her, a hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt.

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow, watching from his seat at the table. He eased himself out of the chair slowly, crossing towards where Kagome stood, brushing her teeth. He was curious as to what she was doing, and Inuyasha seeing his brother approach, emitted a low growl. Kagome turned, toothbrush in hand. “Inuyasha, what has gotten into you this morning?”

Sesshomaru looked towards the strange object in her hand. Kagome put it back into her mouth, noticing the Demon Lord on her other side watching with confused gold eyes. She brushed her tongue before spitting. Before she could continue to brush, an arm was around her waist. Inuyasha glared over her shoulder at his brother, dragging her into their room they shared.

Kagome cried out, “Inuyasha! I was brushing my teeth! We have to get ready for the ride---”

He slammed the door to their room and to silence her, Inuyasha kissed her fiercely, his arms wrapped around her tightly. He delved his tongue into her surprised mouth, his fingers tangling into her hair. It tasted minty, fresh, and tangy. He ran his tongue on hers, tasting underneath all of the freshness from her toothpaste a sweetness that he couldn't quite describe. Kagome accepted the kiss, opening up for him. He felt himself swell against her thigh, causing him to pull back and let her go, blushing at his actions. He said nothing, his ears down, as he waited for the one word he knew he probably deserved more than anything else at this point.

Kagome's breath sounded short as she spoke, “Inuyasha, just what was that all about?” She had dropped her toothbrush in the process. She picked it up, dusting off the dirt that had been picked up into the bristles. She refused to look at him, a slight blush tinging her cheeks as well.

Inuyasha turned his back on her, not wanting to do any further damage. He panted slightly, trying to calm his rushing blood. He nearly jumped when Kagome's hand brushed his shoulder. He shrugged her off. “Just finish getting ready.”

She nodded, opening the door slowly. He watched as she reentered the main room before following, keeping a slight distance from her. Kagome finished brushing her teeth in silence before returning to their room to change into her travel dress. Once she disappeared behind the door, Inuyasha sat down directly in front of the door, arms crossed.

“You're being ridiculous, little brother,” Sesshomaru's voice cut into the silence invading the room. “I have no interest in your miko.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Sure could be fooling me, jackass.” He gripped the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

“She certainly has unusual habits.” Inuyasha noticed the slight smile crossing his brother's face.

“Why don't you shut the hell up,” Inuyasha growled. He glanced from Sesshomaru to Rin who sat at the table, eating quietly. Sesshomaru grabbed a pastry, eating it as they waited for Kagome to return. Before Inuyasha could do anything, the door opened, slapping directly into his back.

Kagome gasped, “Inuyasha, you alright? What were you doing there in front of the door anyways?” She looked from him to Sesshomaru and Rin at the table and back again. She placed her hands on her hips. “You are being ridiculous, Inuyasha.” She wore the plain gray travel dress again, her hair pulled back loosely. She poured a cup of water for herself, sitting down at the table.

Inuyasha stood, glaring at her before he sat down onto a chair, his feet in his hands. He looked at his brother, noticing he was no longer even looking at either of them as he ate his breakfast. Inuyasha grumbled, grabbing his piece of cheese. “Feh. Of all the people to get stuck with I get a jackass.”


As they prepared to leave, Polgara stood by the gates to the Stronghold. A small, dark-haired woman joined her, remarking, “Polgara, do visit again soon. I know Cho-Hag would love to be out here sending you off but it's such a hassle with his legs.”

Polgara nodded. “Yes, it's quite alright, Silar.” Kissing her on the cheeks, she said, “Do let Porenn know to keep her spies off our backs. I really don't need sneaks following us with our two demon companions. No need to spook them.”

“Certainly. Do be careful,” Silar replied before turning to go back into the Stronghold.

Kagome stood by her horse, watching the exchange. She glanced over towards Inuyasha as he glared at his horse, ears folded down onto his head. He did not look happy. His actions of the morning thus far had perplexed her. She couldn't understand what had gotten into him. It seemed almost to her that he was trying to start a fight with his brother, and furthermore that the fight had been over her. She bit her lip. He had kissed her for no reason, after all.

Polgara disturbed her thoughts, “Well dear, are you ready for the ride?”

Kagome nodded, easing herself slowly up onto her horse. She glanced over at Inuyasha again, noticing that he was now keeping his distance, when all morning he had been nearly glued to her. She shook her head. He was sending so many signals and all of them mixed. She noticed that Sesshomaru rode with Rin farther down the line. It was for the best.

Polgara called her attention again, “What is the trouble?”

“Nothing.” She turned towards her, sighing. “It's just that Inuyasha was acting odd all morning. I don't know what got into him. He was glued to me all morning and now he's trying to stay as far away as possible.” She blushed, thinking about the kiss they had shared.

“Oh dear,” Polgara sighed. “Anything else you want to talk about?”

Kagome looked down at her reins. She said, “He kissed me. He's never really kissed me like that before. And he seemed overly concerned about his brother. I don't know what to think. He's not even over here now and I couldn't get him to leave me alone all morning. I just know if I ask him what's going on he'll brush it off. What got into him?”

“It seems that dress of yours last night really affected him. I saw the way he looked at you last.” Polgara smiled slightly. “It's a good sign, really.”

Kagome's eyes went wide. “What do you mean?”

“Dear, that should be obvious. He's grown over protective, he's kissed you.” She looked past Kagome, towards Inuyasha. “And he's staring directly at you right now as we speak. I'd say that if anyone got affected by your dress it was him. Don't worry yourself too much, dear. You can't really make him admit anything right now. Let him work things out on his own. He'll come around eventually.”

Kagome sighed. “I hope so, but I doubt it.”

“Why do you say that?”

They rode through the grass land, heading eastwards towards the border Algaria shared with Mishrak ac Thull. Kagome and Polgara rode side by side with Garion, Belgarath, Zakath, and Durnik ahead of them. Silk took the lead. Ce'Nedra joined them, disrupting the conversation, “Good morning Lady Polgara, Kagome.”

Kagome looked away, blushing when she caught Inuyasha's golden gaze locked on her. She looked down at the mane of her horse, focusing on the mahogany color of it. She hoped that Ce'Nedra's interruption would end her conversation with Polgara. Inuyasha simply wouldn't come out and say anything, and besides, there was the whole Kikyo issue that had yet to be resolved. It was highly unlikely that anything would happen. She sighed, riding along.

Ce'Nedra asked, “Aunt Pol, how far will we travel today?”

Polgara turned from her conversation with Kagome to the question the Rivan Queen posed, “Well, I expect we'll cross the Aldur River and camp there for the night. Father's insane if he thinks we'll cross the entire grassland to reach the border in one day. Besides, we all will need to bathe tonight and why go farther away from the river if you need water.”

“Oh, I suppose.” The tiny red-haired queen smiled. She asked, “Lady Kagome, did you sleep well?”

Kagome blushed. “I, well, I slept just fine.” She kept the incident with the flashlight to herself. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Sesshomaru and Rin riding behind everyone, following through the endless grass. It had been a tense moment and Inuyasha had not helped by overreacting. She looked forward again, hoping that camp that night would be a lot smoother than their stay in the suite. Perhaps with more people around Inuyasha wouldn't be so overprotective around his brother.


As they rested the horses later that afternoon, Kagome sat not far from her horse and from Rin. She closed her eyes, feeling the grass brush against her. The others stretched their legs by walking around and readjusting their packs. Kagome stood, stretching when she heard horse hooves thunder through the grass. She looked up, noticing two men with scarred cheeks bearing down upon her and Rin. Looking around, she grabbed Rin, pulling her close to her chest.

Just as the horsemen should have trampled over the two of them as they hid in the grass, Inuyasha landed directly in front of them, causing the men on horseback to stop their horses. A guttural voice yelled, “Out of our way, strange dog eared man. We're here for the horses.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you're gonna have to go through me.”

The scarred cheeked man laughed. “We are on horseback and you are on foot.”

“So what. You're not going to get any horses here.” He cracked his knuckles, not even bothering to draw Tetsusaiga.

The other scarred man laughed harshly. “And just how do you plan to stop us?”

Inuyasha snarled over his shoulder, “Kagome, get out of here!”

Kagome nodded, getting up slowly, carrying Rin with her towards Ce'Nedra. She glanced towards Inuyasha as he stood ready to defend them.

The men laughed again. “Boy, just what are you going to do?” They kicked their horses, causing them to charge towards Inuyasha. Faster than either of them could see, Inuyasha leapt up into the air, slamming his fist into one's head and his foot into the other's. They were unhorsed and the horses ran aimlessly away into the grassland.

Kagome saw Inuyasha land, grabbing the one who remained awake. The man struggled in Inuyasha's grasp, gasping, “Who are you?”

Inuyasha allowed a fang to show at the corner of his mouth, causing the man to struggle more. “I might ask you the same question.”

Before Inuyasha could continue his interrogation, Sesshomaru followed by Garion, Zakath, and Belgarath descended upon the would be horse thieves. Sesshomaru scanned the area, nodding slightly when he saw Rin held in Kagome's arms.

The man screamed when he saw Garion, “No! Not him! The Godslayer!”

“It's not me you should fear, Murgo. It's him.” Garion pointed towards Hettar who trudged towards him, his rapier drawn and his eyes deadly and cold. Inuyasha had seen that look in Sesshomaru's eyes when Naraku had attempted to hold Rin hostage.

“Murgo dog! In Algaria! What do you want before I kill you?”

The man struggled in Inuyasha's iron grip. “Nothing. I was unaware that the Godslayer would travel this way. I am sorry.”

“You Murgo dog! You were intending to steal Algar horses. It is the same likes of you who murdered my parents. You do not deserve to live!” Hettar approached the man, his sword held low.

Belgarath stood in between the two, also frightening the man, causing him to thrash wildly. “Ancient Belgarath!”

Belgarath snorted. “Hettar, we don't have time to be killing Murgos.”

Sesshomaru growled, “This filth went after Rin by attempting to steal those horses. Hand him over to me, little brother.”

Inuyasha nodded, tossing him to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru gripped him tightly by the throat, his claws beginning to drip poison. “You filthy ningen. You do not deserve to breathe the same air.” With this he gripped tightly around the throat, his claws puncturing the skin. He eased up, glaring into the man's feral eyes.

The man trembled in the grasp of this unusual man. “Torak!”

Garion placed a hand onto Sesshomaru's shoulder. “Grandfather is right. We don't have time to waste on Murgo horse thieves.”

Sesshomaru turned, his eyes flickering to red. He snarled at Garion, then tossed the Murgo two hundred feet away. Sesshomaru closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself. The fact that Rin had nearly been trampled unnerved him more than he was willing to admit. Once he felt as if he was under control, he made his way to where Kagome and Rin waited. “Rin.”

Rin stood, running towards him. She threw her arms around his legs, hugging him tightly. She quietly sobbed and her voice quavered, “Sesshomaru-sama, those bad men tried to run over Rin. But Inuyasha-sama and Kagome-sama saved me.”

Sesshomaru looked down at her, placing his hand onto her tousled hair. Then he looked over at his brother and his miko. “Inuyasha and Kagome, thank you.” He said it softly and even Inuyasha nearly missed it.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. “Feh. The pup needed protecting. I wasn't going to let them run her down.” He looked over at Garion. “What were those men? Were those some of the Angaraks you spoke of?”

“Yes. They are Murgos.” Garion replied.

Belgarath cleared his throat. “Yes, there are five tribes of Angaraks. There are the Murgos, the Thulls, the Nadraks, the Malloreans, and lastly the Grolims who have no country but live in all four. Grolims are the priests of Torak and administer his faith to the other tribes.”

Sesshomaru nodded. “And what of him?” He pointed towards Zakath.

Zakath shook his head. “I'm Mallorean. Only Murgos do the scarring of the cheeks to show their religious pact with Torak. I'm not exactly fond of my Murgo brothers, as some can attest to here.”

Silk giggled, interrupting the discussion. “Urgit knows all too well how you feel about that, dear Emperor. My brother has the worst job in the world. He's king of that entire stinking wasteland.”

Inuyasha cocked his head to one side. “But you're not Angarak or what ever it is.”

“Nope, but he's half and he was the only child remaining after Cho-Hag ran their mad king through at the battle of Thull Mardu. He just managed to survive.” Silk winked.

Beldin landed. “Hey, Belgarath, are you going to get a move on or are you waiting for the Mallorean continent to come to Algaria?”

Belgarath glared at him. “Beldin, don't be so obnoxious. We're going.” He got back onto his horse. “We'll travel a few more leagues before setting up camp. This delay makes sure we won't make it to the Escarpment tonight.”


Early in the evening they crossed the Aldur River. Polgara held up her hand. “Father, we should stop here for the night. The ladies need to rest and we all need to take some baths.”

Belgarath nodded. “Alright, Pol. We'll rest here for the night. We should figure out a way up the Escarpment tomorrow as well.”

Everyone unhorsed and began the process of setting up camp. Inuyasha accepted the tent he and Kagome would share for the night, setting it up distanced from his brother's tent. He didn't want to spend another night that near his brother again if he could help it. Inuyasha saw Kagome follow Polgara some place within the makeshift camp and he shook his head. It was probably best that she'd be over there than near him for the time being.

He finished setting up the tent, sitting down near the new fire that Durnik had built. Inuyasha crossed his legs, then his arms, trying to make himself look as disgruntled as possible. He hoped that it would keep people at bay from disturbing him if at all possible. The last twenty-four hours had been very eventful to say the least. He looked into the fire.

Garion sat down not far from him, remarking, “Aunt Pol said that you'll have to take a bath tonight. We all do.” He broke a twig, throwing it into the fire pit.

Inuyasha looked down from his contemplation of the stars. He glanced towards the Godslayer. “Feh.”

“That's sorta what Beldin said. I don't think she'll manage to get him to comply, though.” Garion laughed quietly. He looked up towards the stars as well, adjusting his sword on his back. “Your brother, he doesn't talk much, does he?”

Inuyasha pinned his ears to his head. “Nope. I try to say as little as possible to him if I can manage it.” He glared into the fire.

Garion sighed. Before he could respond, Silk joined them. “What's going on here? What's with all the serious faces?”

Garion shrugged. “Nothing, just setting up camp. When you going to take your bath?”

“Soon. The less time I have to feel Polgara's wrath the better. I'd rather not have her turn me into a turnip.” He smiled mischievously. “It's not that I don't want to make your aunt happy, it's just that when she's displeased she can be most unpleasant. Hey, why don't you and I get that whole bath stuff over with together so we both can avoid her wrath?”

Garion nodded. “Fine with me. Better that way than hauling more water. I hate hauling water.” He looked over towards Inuyasha. “You want to join us? It'll save time.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Feh. Whatever.” He crossed his arms more around his chest, eyes locked on the fire in front of him.

Garion stood. “Well, it looks like the baths are ready for us. Let's get this over with.” He crossed the small camp towards the small screened area where the baths had been set up. “Are you two coming or are you hoping I'll bring the bath to you?”

Silk stood first, his nose twitching. “Come on, you heard the mighty Overlord of the West.”

Inuyasha stood, following the small, rat faced man. He undid the strings to his haori, shucking the clothing into a pile next to the other two. He set Tetsusaiga next to the massive sword of the Godslayer before climbing into the steaming water. He closed his eyes as the warm water covered his body. This is what he had needed all day long as he had struggled against the feelings he felt for Kagome. Inuyasha cracked an eye open as the other two entered.

Silk dunked his head under the water before resurfacing. He asked, “How come you left that necklace on? Wouldn't it be best to keep that dry?”

Inuyasha growled softly before replying, “It's not exactly my idea. It doesn't come off.”

“Oh. I see.” He smirked slightly. “Ce'Nedra's got one of those, too. She was not exactly thrilled when our dear king here gave it to her.”

Garion's expression soured. “Silk, do you mind?” He fingered his own amulet at his throat, its odd design of lines and shapes that seemed to merge and diverge all at once catching Inuyasha's eyes.

“What's that?” Inuyasha asked, diverting attention from his rosary.

“Oh, this? It's just my amulet. It's a family tradition of sorts.” He let his hands drop, ducking his head under the water. He ran his hands over his blond hair, stripping the water out of it.

Inuyasha dunked his head as well, closing his eyes as he let the warm water soothe him. He accepted a bar of soap and washed. He asked, “So what the hell did all that mumbo jumbo last night mean, anyways? I didn't get it.”

Garion nodded. “I know that feeling. It's sorta like this, there are two prophecies. One is considered the Prophecy of Light, the other of Dark. We're of the Light.” He washed his hair, scrubbing behind his ears. He continued, “It seems you, your brother, and the ladies have something to do for our Prophecy. Grandfather knows a whole lot more about all of this than me. I've been reading for a short while so I'm not nearly as in the know. I just get to do all the stuff my friend,” he tapped his head, “tells me. Let's just say I've gotten to know our Prophecy personally through out the years.”

Silk snickered. “I think, my dear dog demon friend, you didn't get anything cause you were much too caught up in someone's lovely dress.” He wiggled an eyebrow.

Inuyasha growled, his ears pinned back on his head. He glared towards the rat faced man, his clawed hand in a fist. “Give me one good reason not to smack you upside the head.”

Garion sighed. “Silk, Aunt Pol is right. Your mouth is going to get you killed one day.” He rinsed his hair and washed before simply soaking.

Inuyasha relaxed slightly, leaning back into the tub. He sighed. “I still don't get it. What were those names all about?”

“Oh, those are just the names that the prophecy uses to identify who is involved. It's cryptic so not just anyone can pick up the documents and find out what's going to happen or who's going to do what.” Garion stretched under the water. “I still don't get Kagome's.”

Inuyasha clenched his teeth. He rinsed his hair before exiting. “It' doesn't make sense to me so I can't tell you.” He didn't want to reveal Kagome's secret. Anything to keep her secret from his brother and who ever else he didn't feel comfortable knowing. He shook himself, spraying water off his hair. Inuyasha then pulled on his clothes, crossing back to the fire.

After he sat down, he felt someone sit not far away, smelling Kagome's scent. He tensed up slightly, waiting for the argument that he was sure was to come. Instead she said, “Inuyasha, want a comb for your hair?”

“Why bother? It'll only get tangled again.” He crossed his arms, keeping his eyes averted.

Kagome sighed. “Fine, let me comb it for you. It'll drive me nuts if you leave it all tangled that way.”

He glanced towards her, confused. Inuyasha stuck his nose up into the air. “Feh. Whatever. Go ahead.”

Kagome knelt down behind him, pulling the comb through the bottom of his silver tresses. He closed his eyes as her hands lifted the mass of hair, combing gently. She whispered, “Sorry, you have a slight tangle, it'll hurt a little.” She pulled the comb slowly, trying to dislodge the tangle. He winced slightly, letting her work her way through. Once she managed to get the tangle out, she gently rubbed an ear. Inuyasha leaned his head back into her hand, inviting her to rub more.

He cracked an eye open when she stopped for a moment. “Why did you stop?”

“Gotta clean the comb out.” She shook her fingers free of his hair, then pulled it through again. She petted it down as she continued to work through it, sighing. “Are you feeling any better now?”

Inuyasha nodded. He looked up to the sky as she lightly pulled the comb over his fuzzy ears. “Yeah.” He turned slightly, looking at her before blushing.

Before he could say anything, Sesshomaru sat down by the fire, Rin not far away. Sesshomaru remarked, “Might someone tell me where the baths are taking place?”

“That way,” Inuyasha pointed, standing up. He looked from Kagome to Sesshomaru and back again, “I'm going to run a little bit. I've been trapped on that horse all damn day and I want to stretch my legs.” It was a good excuse as any. He frowned slightly at Kagome's saddened face but resolved that he did indeed need a good run to clear his head. Perhaps he'd then quit feeling himself grow flushed around her, not to mention the hardening of his nether regions. He took off before she could protest, running through the long grass.