InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inexcusable Nature ❯ Concerning control...again ( Chapter 19 )

Inexcusable Nature

Just A Starving Writer

Disclaimer: nope, not mine.

Author's Rant: Thanks to all who wrote in response to my Author's Note. It really helped knowing that there were others out there in a similar position.
Argh! I'm just not good with communicating, so instead, I'll just let you read the next chapter. Hope it's worth the wait.
Enjoy if you can

Part 19: Concerning Control…again

A recently bathed and radiantly smiling Kagome walked up to the pensive wind sorceress.

"They haven't made a decision yet," she stated before the youkai could get her hopes up. "But I've told them my stance, and for once Inuyasha is on my side, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Do they always talk this much?"

"Yup."

The miko stretched and sat beside the sorceress, a still torn white silk haori in her hands. As she resumed her mending task that had now spanned much longer than she ever could have imagined, the sorceress began examining the human who would save her.

The recently scrubbed girl was practically glowing, happily content to sew away on the lord's clothing as she hummed some strange song no one in the era was familiar with. However, Kagura's attention was drawn to a recent change, something she was sure could not be intentional. Though she was hesitant to bring it up, curiosity won over and she simply had to know. There was a story here and she was interested.

"What happened to your hair?"

The miko stopped in her work, grinning wistfully, perhaps remembering all the good times she and her hair had together before its tragic end.

"He got stuck." That seemed enough to explain what had happened and the sorceress was hard pressed not to break into laughter.

"Sesshoumaru? Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West, got stuck in your hair?"

"Yup. But it's okay, I guess. He got his."

Wondering what the girl could mean, the sorceress looked over at the youkai lord and noticed for the first time that his long hair was not quite as long as before. In fact, it looked to be about 2 feet shorter than before - still impressive but not quite. At that discovery she couldn't hold back and broke into laughter.

However, the miko looked so despondent over her lost locks, that she tried her best to kill her humor and said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Do you need someone to clean it up a little?"

At that the young woman positively shined. The force of her smile was shocking to the former minion.

"Could you? I mean, you're the only one here with any style."

The youkai snorted in agreement.

"Come here girl. I'll see what I can do."

And thus it was that when the talking stopped back with the rest of the shard hunters, they found Kagura evening out the cut on Kagome's new shorter hair. And she didn't stop there. Once it was suitably cut, she began to twist the black strands up into a complex bun, much to the young woman's enjoyment. This was exactly the sort of girl thing she had missed out on by spending all her time in the Feudal Era.

"We've made a decision."

Kagura looked up from her position pinning a section of hair into place. Of course she was well aware they had come to a conclusion. She was just waiting for them to say it themselves.

"Yes?"

"You can stay with us," the monk continued. It was proving difficult to remain serious when he was practically being assaulted with the broadcasted happy hope from the miko.

"But at the first sign of trouble, you're gone," added the slayer.

The sorceress could only nod, unable to hide her happiness.

"She won't be any trouble. Will you, Kagura?"

The sorceress could read the threat underlining the hanyou's statement easily and her joy abated somewhat. She had known not everyone was going to trust her as willingly as the miko, but this was just too much.

"And my heart?" she questioned, unable to fully disengage her mind from her life source.

"Actually we have no idea what to do about that." Her tragic frown must have said enough. "But we are going to a village where an old miko might be able to help." Her hopes perked up.

"When will I know?"

"We'll be leaving in the morning, but we aren't far," began the hanyou as he crossed his arms in thought. He really was rather handsome when he wasn't being a dumbass. "If we keep a good pace, three days. At most, four."

"Oh."

"Feh, don't worry about it. Your heart will be safe in no time," he said in an apparent effort to comfort her, much to everyone's shock, except the previously warned miko. She merely grinned knowingly even as she sewed away on the damaged haori.

Deciding it was best to distract everyone, the miko turned her attention toward the shard hunters, using her emotions to demand their attention. Perhaps this whole broadcasting thing had a use after all…

"Hey, if we're going to be here for the night, I might as well mend everyone's clothing. Sango, if your kimono gets one more hole in it, Miroku will never let you be."

At once the idea was accepted. Who was one to pass up such an offer? In an instant the poor young woman was covered in clothing as the former wearers profusely offered their thanks and ran before she could reconsider.

"Seems like you've got quite a job there," the sorceress noted with humor as she pinned the last hair into place.

"Yup," the miko managed to mumble beneath the pile of fabric.

*

He had never really taken the time to see them. Oh, he'd known of them and their particular threats to his person but otherwise paid them no mind. After all, he was a great and powerful demon lord. What did this small band of humans mean to him?

However, with his slightly new frame of mind, he was a bit more tolerant. That, and he was incredibly bored.

The monk bothered him slightly. Though he was by far the most reasonable member of the group, lately he'd been giving the lord some of the most suspicious looks. Not anything particularly threatening, mind you, but it was wrong all the same. It was as if the monk took him as a comrade in some shared infliction…strange really. What was that damned monk thinking? As if he, Sesshoumaru, would have anything in common with a lowly human monk. Ridiculous.

Said monk was currently attempting to sneak a feel of the demon slayer's rear end. Stupid monk. As he expected, the slayer brutally attacked in response to his hand. It would be amusing if it hadn't been so silly. Stupid pervert.

The half-breed…ah, the half-breed was discussing something with the undead miko. They both looked so serious…strange expression for the idiot.

The talking couple was being spied on discreetly by a slightly perturbed wind sorceress. While he still did not trust the incarnation, because that would be stupid, he had to admit, she'd be good for the half-breed. They were both loud and obnoxious. The perfect match.

The sorceress was sitting beside the miko, speaking with the girl in between surreptitious glances. And thus his attention fell onto the miko.

Kagome…such a strangely powerful being… Just a few short hours after such a serious battle she sat there serenely, discussing something trivial with her former enemy as she pieced his haori back together, industriously sewing away.

Kagome…a warrior and a handmaiden. Such a curious and entertaining creature she was. And particularly fetching with her hair in the traditional style. It matured her, made her look slightly less ridiculous and more…physical?

Ah well. He was never much one for words. He never did manage to get his death threats beyond a simple `Die.'

Kagome…what a wonderful wife she would make him.

At that point, his musing ceased. Surely he had never considered something so utterly ludicrous? Since when did he think of such nonsense? True, it had been awhile since he'd been with a female, but that was purely the pull of his masculinity. But wife? That was new and unexpected.

Rising suddenly from his spot against a particularly honorable tree, he walked off into the forest but not before taking one last look at the group.

The children were still playing tag with an unwilling retainer. The monk was still unconscious and the slayer was polishing her weapon. The miko was still sewing away while her sorceress company was still sneaking glances at the hanyou. And the hanyou had stopped talking to the undead miko. And was looking at him.

What the hell was that hanyou looking at?

His eyes narrowed in annoyance. He was not being informed of something important.

Walking away, he decided to take care of some business to distract his mind from his unusual thoughts. He'd deal with it later.

*

He claimed he would stay until she finished his haori. It gave her a timeline of her remaining time with him and for some odd reason, it mattered.

As a direct result of this, she delayed his attire until she had completed everyone else's. And now that his was all that remained, she was purposely being anal regarding her work.

And for some odd reason, the lord seemed content to wait. During the few days of travel, he had remained silent for the most part, walking ahead of everyone. No teasing, no taunting, not even a raised eyebrow for all her trouble.

The pompous ass. Why so quiet? Was he in that much of hurry to rid himself of her company?

Apparently her feelings weren't going unnoticed. The emotion receiving shard-hunters were getting antsy. For their sake, she tried to remain calm. It would do no good for her to wear out her friends with her over powerful emotions over a stupid, conceited, stubborn, sexy demon lord.

Still, it wasn't easy. He simply was not responding to her and it irked her to no end.

Arriving at the village, they discovered Kaede had left for the day to deal with a nearby birthing. They could only wait. Her heart went out to Kagura and her heart.

However, her mind was easily distracted from her new friend's suffering. She was so close to home…and yet so far away. But at least she could send Inuyasha through the well to inform her family of her whereabouts and pick up supplies. Dealing without the comforts of a sleeping bag or Ramen was just annoying.

Since she had nothing else to do besides sit and wait, she pulled out the almost finished haori and leaned against the aging well. She was so intent on completing the last few stitches that she failed to notice the demon lord intruding on her peace.

"You are finished," he stated coolly, once again able to question her without actually asking a question. The jerk.

"Almost," she allowed, trying to avoid his prying eyes. Why did it matter so much that he was leaving?

He bent down smoothly and plucked the silk right out of her hands. Glaring at him slightly, she watched as he examined her craftsmanship.

"Very well," he stated as he dropped the garment back into her hands and stood once again. However, it was that graceful movement that brought her attention to something that simply would not let her be.

"You have a rip," she said as she used the well to pull herself upwards, fingers finding the tear on his inner haori. Ignoring the blush that was invading her cheeks as she felt his smooth skin through the cut, she looked up at him.

"Take it off," she commanded, her hands already pulling the undershirt loose. Damned if she was going to let her modesty let him escape.

"There is no need," he responded as he tried to brush her aside. That simply was not going to happen.

"Let me fix it," she insisted.

"No."

He pushed her slightly too hard, once again forgetting the obvious flaw of her humanity and down she went, the formerly sprained ankle raised in protest. In an instant he was at her side.

"You are hurt."

Her pained look immediately vanished and she pulled him down. Of course, he should have known she would have done something that sneaky. The clever wench.

She was removing his inner haori, exposing his bare chest but he didn't mind much. After all, how often did he have a female demand he rid himself of clothing? All his previous attempts to resist her dissolved into nothingness as he found himself once again kissing the strange miko. However, this time there was no battle to distract and no pesky wind sorceress to interrupt. This time he would make sure the girl knew who was in charge.

And then he felt her insistent pushes. Reasoning that the girl was angry at his presumption, he released her lips and allowed her to move him, only to be surprised when she continued to remove the haori from its position trapped on his arm. Growling slightly, he rolled onto his back, pulling the miko with him and tried to trap her hands with his own.

However, he was taken by surprise again when this time it was her who presumed and met his lips. Well if that was the game she wished to play, then by all means, he would play. Let the woman think she had control now, as he would gladly show her otherwise later. Oh, the possibilities!

*

The hanyou was trying his best not to act stupid while he helped Kagome's mom shop. However, it was proving difficult. The damn hat was uncomfortable on his ears and he was receiving stares no matter what he did.

And that's when the emotions hit him hard, sending him into a display of ramen.

"Are you alright?" the mother asked kindly as she moved to help him up.

"We have to hurry," he said as he gained his feet.

"What's wrong?" she asked with motherly concern, as was proper.

"Nothing. We just have to hurry."

"Okay then."

And she went back to filling the basket with assorted flavors of the all-powerful ramen with a slightly faster pace. The hanyou could only stare at her dumbly. She was really that trusting? Did she really not worry that her daughter was spending time with a ruthless demon lord who was currently feeling rather frisky?

Of course, he was not about to let her know the details. But it was still strange. Weren't mothers supposed to be always asking questions?

Further time for thought was cut short by another burst of broadcasted emotion. What the hell was going on over there?

Throwing a few bags of chips into the basket, he pushed the woman along toward the front where she hastily slapped money onto the counter. They hurriedly left the little store, almost running back to the shrine.

He didn't know what was happening back in his own era, but he knew he had to get back and find out.

*

Sango found herself incapable of worrying while she sharpened her katana. She had been thinking about some disturbing fact or another but now…now she felt all powerful. Right now, there was nothing that could stop her from avenging her family and saving her brother.

And that's when she felt the hand on her ass. Whirling around to give the monk the traditional slap, she was more than surprised when he caught her hand before it had the chance to impact.

"Now, my lovely Sango, I was merely removing some dust," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Oh, so he thought he was going to get away with it, did he? Not now, not while she was feeling this powerful.

Her unrestrained hand slapped him before he could catch it. As if in retaliation, he groped her again.

In no time at all, it was a fight for supremacy: lechery versus modesty. Neither side was willing to back down as both felt they were in complete control. Success would be theirs!

However, when they found themselves at an impasse, with all hands restricted or restricting, they were able to come to their senses enough to realize an important fact.

This emotion of supremacy was not theirs.

"Kagome?" the monk questioned, the lecherous glint returning in full force as he considered the implications of the miko's broadcasted emotion.

"Kagome," responded the slayer as she released his hands and took off in the direction of the well, but not before soundly slapping the unsuspecting monk.

Miroku merely grinned. He would be victorious later.

*

Whatever it was that Inuyasha was expecting when he jumped through the well and back into the Feudal Era, it wasn't this.

The shocking image, accompanied by the strong emotional flashes that practically ripped his through his body, sent him careening off of the edge of the well and back into Kagome's time.

After rubbing his eyes, he jumped through again, attempting to convince himself that what he had seen was truly not happening. Cautiously jumping up to the edge of the well, he peered into the field.

Thus it was that he spotted the unlikely pair in a very unlikely position. His brother was bare-chested and lying on the ground, seemingly quite content to stay. However, it was the miko that made the situation outlandish. Kagome was currently straddling the preoccupied demon lord, pinning his hand above his head with her own, stretching luxuriously across him to reach while he thoroughly stole her breath.

It was something the hanyou wished never to see again. For one thing, it was his brother and for another it was the reincarnation of his dead lover. And not to mention it was simply wrong that the mere human had managed to subdue the all powerful demon lord.

A crash and a gasp brought his attention to the recent arrival of the monk and slayer. They looked just about as shocked as him, though the monk seemed to have expected something of the sort. He was plainly too approving.

However, the busy couple on the ground seemed not to notice any of their spectators, though the hanyou was certain his damned brother knew very well. Alas, it would be up to the miko to break up the make-out session.

Pulling himself up to a sitting position on the lip of the well, the hanyou cleared his throat rather loudly and the effect was instantaneous. The miko shot straight up, releasing her hold on the youkai beneath her, but was consequently brought back down by his freed hand. A full lip locked minute later, she rose for breath and disengaged herself from his grasp.

"Um…" she stuttered, looking frantically back and forth between the content lord, the bothered hanyou, the grinning monk, and shocked slayer. "It…I…We…His shirt was ripped!"

"Uh-huh," the hanyou muttered while pulling the basket of groceries and familiar yellow backpack out of the well. If she recognized the basket as belonging to the local store, she said nothing. "You can come back to the village when you're done messing around."

And with that reprimand, he and his basket full of goodies stalked out of the clearing and back towards the village, picking up a monk and demon slayer on the way. The unlikely couple was left alone once again.

"You…" the miko began before being silenced by a sudden, breath-destroying kiss.

"JERK!" she concluded once she was capable. However, her audience was not listening. Instead, he was nonchalantly walking back towards the village, allowing his undershirt to fall off unheeded.

"I expect it to be mended by morning," he stated, practically radiating smugness. The bastard…

Stomping her foot in embarrassed agony, she waited until he was gone from sight before retrieving the various articles of clothing and following.

She couldn't help but smile. Sure he was an arrogant bastard, but at least he was staying for another night.

*