InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Close Quarters ❯ Between a Rock and a Hanyou ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Between a Rock and a Hanyou?

The sun was just rising above the horizon, staining the sky an array of different shades of red, pink, and orange. The first rays seeped through the leaves, landing on the young pair nestled between two large tree roots. The smallest of the couple let out a quiet yawn, her fingers curling around handfuls of red cloth as she clung to sleep.

Kagome stretched out upon the cool, mossy ground. She shivered as the brisk morning air bled through her sweater, and snuggled closer to the warm body next to her.

`Warm body?'

Opening her eyes and peering through her sleep clogged mind, she was shocked awake by the length of Inuyashas' body pressed close to hers; his right arm draped casually over her shoulders. Her face flushed at their close proximity. She could only imagine his reaction when he woke up.

`The difference between Inuyasha when he's awake and when he's asleep is amazing.' She tilted her head to the side and smiled. `Right now he's so peaceful. He almost looks vulnerable.' Kagome would have been content to watch the weak sunlight play shadows over his face for quite a while, that is, had the half demon's ear not twitched right then. As quickly as she could, Kagome settled back into Inuyasha's inadvertent embrace, intent on looking like she was still asleep.

Inuyasha gave a huge yawn. Lifting one eyelid and seeing no one else awake, he closed his eyes again and pulled Kagome's sleeping form closer. He tucked Kagome's...

`Wait just a damn minute... What the hell!?'

With a horrified expression, he looked down at the girl sleeping soundly beside him. Seeing this, he allowed himself an inaudible sigh of relief as he gently withdrew his arm and moved as far away as the beads would allow. He smirked as he saw her face crease in a small frown, a whimper escaping her throat as she curled into a ball against the cold.

`That's another embarrassing moment avoided.' He thought in approval.

Raising a hand, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually slept. Normally he would just doze, if anything. He growled. Hanging around so many humans was making him soft. If he hadn't allowed himself to fall asleep, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.

`What is it about her that makes her so easy to be around? I'm never as at ease around anyone as I am around her.'

Reaching out, he shook her gently. Before trying again, he made a second sweep of the campsite and to his satisfaction, saw that the runt had not yet returned.

"Kagome." He called softly, shaking her again. When this still didn't rouse her from her sleep, he could feel his temper rising. He didn't see the slight smile on the girls' lips. He leaned down closer to her ear. "Wake up, Wench!" He shouted.

Kagome jumped. As she slowly sat up, she could hear the irritated mumbles of their companions. Putting on a show of stretching and scrubbing at her eyes, she stifled a large, uncharacteristically rude yawn, then turned to him and smiled sleepily.

"Good morning, Inuyasha. Did you sleep well?"

Inuyasha only grunted in reply.

Kagome bowed her head to hide another atypical smirk as she got to her feet.

"Well, I had better start breakfast."

"Breakfast! He stood up with her. "There's no time for breakfast! We've got to get a move on!"

"What are you talking about? We can't leave until Shippou comes back." She placed her hands on her hips. "And do not start complaining, because you're the one who chased him off."

"Oh yeah..." For a moment, his expression was a mixture of reminiscence and regret. Then he snickered, his lips curving in an evil grin.

After a quick breakfast, Kaede and Miroku took Kirara to go search for Shippou, leaving Kagome and Sango to clean up. Inuyasha, being stuck to Kagome, decided to clean Tetsusaiga while Kagome washed some dishes in a nearby hot spring. Sango had disappeared several minutes ago to bathe, and now she called out from behind a rock.

"You know, these hot springs feel wonderful, Kagome."

Kagome smiled and called back.

"I bet they do! Since we can't leave until Shippou gets back, I was thinking about taking..."

Inuyasha sat up from leaning over his sword, an anxious expression on his face.

"...a bath... later."

Kagome paused to think.

The two turned to face each other. Neither one spoke for a few seconds before another argument erupted.

"There's no way I'm going to take a bath with you!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Well I have to bathe, Inuyasha! Otherwise I'll stink!" She exclaimed.

"You stink anyway!" He retorted, immediately regretting it.

"SIT BOY!"

They both careened sideways. Inuyasha growled as he pried himself off the rock. Kagome had a more difficult time, slowly sitting up, holding her shoulder again.

"Why don't you just wear your bathing suit, Kagome?" Sango had dressed and was walking back through the bushes.

"I forgot it at home." She spoke regretfully.

"Wait wait wait! You mean you'd be naked!?" Inuyashas' face twitched. "Bathing with you is one thing I won't do, but us both being naked while we do it is a completely different thing I won't do!" His face went bright red as he fought to push dirty thoughts out of his mind. He wouldn't turn into Miroku.

As if on cue, the monk emerged from the trees.

"What was that I heard about doing something naked?" He asked happily, oblivious to the disgusted looks of the girls.

Sango and Kagome shared a loud `PERVERT!!!' and Sango pummeled him with her massive boomerang, leaving the boy in a painfully convulsing heap on the ground.

The demon exterminator shouldered Hiraikotsu and they turned on Inuyasha.

He snarled and beat them to the punch.

"No matter what you say or do... I am not taking a bath!"

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An hour later, Kagome was gathering an armful of towels. Inuyasha grumbled angrily as he sulked behind her. Once it had been `decided' that they would indeed be bathing, Kagome figured that to ease the nudity issue, they could bathe in towels.

"Here, Kagome." Sango approached carrying another towel from her own belongings.

" Thanks, Sango. We need all the towels we can get." She took the towel with a relieved smile.

"You know, Kagome." Sango leaned close and whispered behind her hand. "If you'd like. I could follow you guys and make sure he doesn't try anything."

"I hardly think that Inuyasha of all people would try anything. He has already made it quite clear he doesn't find me at all attractive." But the nerves began to flutter in her stomach. She was going to be all but naked right next to Inuyasha. What an awkward situation. "But then again, it might help to have you there, keeping an eye out for Miroku."

Sango smirked.

"Then I'll make sure he doesn't try anything."

Meanwhile, Miroku addressed Inuyasha.

"Hey, Inuyasha. What with you being in such a compromising position with Kagome, do you think that I should keep an eye out so she doesn't try and cop a feel or something?" Miroku looked expectantly at him with wide, almost pleading eyes.

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. He couldn't figure out whether Miroku was really stupid enough to think Kagome would actually do something like that, or if the monk was just being his normal, perverted self, and doing a terribly poor job of disguising it.

"No."

"But, Inuyasha..."

"No!"

"But what if..."

"I said NO, you sick bastard!"

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Kagome and Inuyasha made their way to the hot springs in a tense silence. Finding a secluded part of the springs, they took turns closing their eyes and facing away so the other could undress and wrap themselves in a towel.

"All right." Inuyasha spoke, dropping his clothes over a low branch.

Kagome turned, clutching tightly to the towel around her body. She was a bit startled at the image of Inuyashas' muscular, but slender chest and stomach. Turning away to hide her blush, she waved her hand in the direction of the water.

"All right, let's hurry up." Even knowing that Sango was standing guard somewhere in the trees, she still didn't feel very comfortable.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha stopped, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Promise me that you won't si-... you know what me, while we're in the water. " He chose his words carefully as they moved to the smooth rocks around the edge of the springs. "I'd rather not drown."

Kagomes' jumpy nerves allowed her a small laugh.

"I promise not to `you know what' you. As long as you promise not to peek at me." They both lowered themselves into the steaming water.

"Deal." Inuyasha smiled slightly.

They sank into the water up to their shoulders, sitting on a shallow ledge. Kagome sighed and relaxed slightly, beginning to scrub herself. She worked shampoo into her hair and rinsed quickly, feeling much better. Pouring some shampoo into her hand, she turned to Inuyasha, and before he could even protest, began to lather up his soft, silver hair.

"Hold still Inuyasha! If I wash your hair you won't smell so much like a wet dog."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, not willing to admit that he was enjoying the way her gentle fingers massaged his scalp. Angry grumbles gradually turned into a low, deep rumbling sound.

The young girl grinned as she heard his version of `purring'. Deciding that he must be enjoying himself, she began to gently stroke his ears, earning a loud sigh as he slumped forward. She backed away and smirked again as his closed eyes formed a disappointed frown.

"All right Inuyasha, all done!"

"Hm?" The half-demon seemed a bit dazed.

"Time to rinse!" She leaned forward until her shoulders were over his head, and roughly shoved him under water, quickly inhaling as she went down with him.

He came back up sputtering with a giggling Kagome over his shoulder, who was clutching tightly to her towel.

"Oh yeah?" He grinned and grabbed her around the waist. "How about this?" With a loud shriek from Kagome and a battle cry from her captor, they plunged into the deeper water with a huge splash.

Miroku, who, up until now, had been hiding up in the tree branches, watching as Sango patrolled below him heard her cries. He slowly inched his way farther out onto the branch to get a better view, although thus far his ogling had been prevented by that meddlesome towel. As Inuyasha made a grab for Kagome, Miroku, being the chivalrous person he is, immediately thought her to be in dire need of assistance. Dropping from the tree, he landed right beside Sango, who screamed at his sudden entrance. He hit the ground running and was off like a shot in the direction of the springs. Waving his arms in the air, he called out.

"Kagome! Don't worry! I'm coming to save you!"

The two in the pool turned to watch in shocked horror as Sango's boomerang came soaring out from the bushes and cut the monk down mid-step. The head trauma did not deter him for long though, and he was up and running again before Sango sent Kirara to apprehend him.

Inuyasha watched the struggle slowly near the waters edge and felt the girl behind him shrink down. Turning, he ushered her quickly across to the other side of the pool. For both of their sake he didn't want to be seen.

"Go on Kagome, quick, into the bushes!" He nudged her from behind, keeping his eyes on the monk. When the girl wouldn't move, he looked curiously down at her, nothing below her shoulders visible below the water. "What are you waiting for? Do you want Miroku to see you?"

Kagome shook her head, her face flaring red again.

"Then what the heck are you waiting for?" He questioned angrily.

"I lost my towel." Her reply was barely a whisper, and she kept her eyes facing away from his face, afraid of what she might see.

"You lost your..." He was appalled. What the hell were they gonna do now? Just beyond the trees they could hear Miroku and Sango bickering, coming ever closer. Pausing to think, he turned around and faced the other direction. "Okay, I promise I won't peak. I've still got my towel, so you can hide behind me and we can make a run for the bushes back there."

Kagome reluctantly let him straighten up out of the water, and they began to quickly edge their way up the bank and into the forest. Just as they reached the edge of the brush, Miroku burst into the area from the other side. Giving a low snarl, Inuyasha took a step to fast for Kagome, and sent them both tripping over a large root. In an attempt to catch himself, Inuyasha turned, forgetting about the extra weight of Kagome around his neck. He barely had enough time to support himself on his hands as he landed right on top of Kagome, pinning her arms, which were luckily crossed over her chest, between them.

Frightened blue eyes stared directly into shocked golden ones. Face to face with Inuyasha, Kagome could barely breathe with the weight of his bare chest on hers. He lowered his face slowly until his nose was touching hers, and she could feel his breath on her lips. Normally, she would have been flattered and flustered to gain such a response from the half-demon. But at that moment, she couldn't be quite sure that if the one he was truly seeing was her.