InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ So Crazy in Love ❯ A Friendship and A Fight ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven

A Friendship and a Fight

Over the next four days, Sesshoumaru had been angering himself. Every time an opportunity presented itself, he would embarrass the young priestess and smile to himself as the warm feeling took hold, watching her flustered, pink face turn from embarrassment to anger. He knew that his actions were very much fueled by his curiosity. There had never before been somebody who could show anger towards him and seem to show no sense of retribution.

This had not been entirely one sided, as she had been able to throw some of it back at him. The night after the courtesy incident, she had announced, after Rin had retired for the evening, that she was going for a bath. He looked up at her steadily and stated plainly, "Are you telling me because you would like my permission, or my company?"

His face was blank as he waited for her embarrassment, and was surprised when she instead returned with just as much sincerity, "Are you offering your company, Lord Sesshoumaru?" His eyes widened slightly at her audacity and then narrowed with annoyance as she smirked and headed for her room. He found the fact that she had turned his own intentions on him very aggravating.

Kagome walked towards her room and realized that she had finally gotten under his skin. `Well, at least enough for him to let it register on his face.' She chuckled to herself as she went to her room to gather her supplies, pondering when it was that she had begun to want to get under his skin. She found herself upset that she had stopped viewing him as her captor, and more as a friend that she could tease. The realization made her stop in her tracks, and she forced herself to remember all the times he had tried to kill her, so that she would not let her guard down with him.

Kagome undressed again and wrapped the robe around her, cursing herself for trusting the demon. She quickly grabbed her supplies and headed for the baths and stopped short of the door when she saw the demon in question waiting patiently by them. Her face turned crimson and she stared at him in incredulity. `Oh my god! He's not actually planning on watching me bathe is he? Why didn't I keep my mouth shut? I would rather let him watch me bathe than to admit that he got the better of me!' She saw obvious amusement dancing in his eyes as he watched her, and grew angry that her embarrassment showed so clearly on her face.

Sesshoumaru watched her skin as it went unnaturally white, and then a deep shade of red. He saw anger pass over her features and he had let the query in her eyes brood for a while before he opened his mouth and said cordially. "I came to wish you a pleasant evening, Higurashi, and to wish you a good night. That is, unless, you have some other request to make of me." He watched as she curtly shook her head, and he slightly bowed his own to her, noting that it furthered her anger and left her to her bathe.

Kagome was physically restraining herself from throwing her shampoo bottle at the retreating head, and she went to the bath fuming. She found herself constantly cursing him in thought and in word.

Sesshoumaru smirked as he heard her fuming in the bath. He was not spying on her, but she was not putting forth much effort into being quiet. The multiple frustrated growls that he heard continually brought his smirk and that familiar warm feeling back, and he wondered how, when he had defeated hundreds of mighty demons, he had never felt as much satisfaction as he did when winning a verbal sparring match with this mere human.

The thought brought a sudden frown to his face as he contemplated what would cause this, when he heard her leave the bath and begin to storm down the hallway. When she got close, he called out to her.

"Higurashi, if you continue like that all the way to your room, you stand a good chance of waking Rin. Please control yourself." He was surprised at her reaction when she turned to him, gave one of those frustrated growls, and a wet sponge connected to his shoulder and flopped to the floor in front of him. He looked up, eyebrow cocked in slight amusement, to find the anger gone from her face, which had turned very pallid, and her hands clasped over her mouth. She was obviously standing horrified of what she'd just done. "Are you trying to tell me you would now like to assist ME with a bath, Higurashi?"

He watched her snap her hands from her face and ball them into fists. The color returned to her face and she quickly came over and snatched up her sponge. "Good night, Lord Sesshoumaru." With that, she turned and left his sight. He found himself smirking again as she left, and began to ponder why he found so much mirth in this human's embarrassment.

Kagome snatched her sponge up and left the room, telling him good night. She could not believe that she had just thrown a wet sponge at Sesshoumaru and that he had not killed her on the spot. Well, she knew that he would never hurt Rin by killing her, but she was surprised that he had not at least threatened her life. Confused, she went to bed, and surprisingly, found sleep very quickly.

*****

Two days after the bathing fiasco, Rin had wanted to play in the forest again. Again Sesshoumaru had followed them so as not to let them be in any real danger. As he watched them, he contemplated the strange woman that was running through the trees, hiding and jumping out at the child. He found himself very curious as to how she could be so naïve after seeing so many battles. She was still able to play with children after seeing such gruesome death, and she could feel pity for anybody, human and demon alike. When he had realized this, he was astounded by it. He had never known a human that could be so selfless, it was not in their nature, yet this young girl seemed untouched by the world around her.

He came to his senses as he heard Rin cry, only to see her immediately in the arms of the priestess and calmed. The priestess looked up at him, and her expression changed from worried to astonished, and he realized that he was smiling at them. He quickly blanked his face and turned away from them. "It's time to head back."

Kagome saw the girl fall to the ground again and was there with her as soon as she began to cry, already holding her. She spoke softly to her, instantly calming the child. She looked to the demon to see if he was angry with her for allowing her to be hurt, only to find the same fatherly smile on his face that he had given Rin when they first traveled back. It was just a fleeting smile as he quickly replaced it with his usual blank stare and turned away, informing them it was time to leave.

When they entered the castle, Sesshoumaru turned to Rin and told her she was to go bathe, as she had leaves and dirt all over her. Rin gave a resounding, "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru" and turned to leave, turning quickly back to hug Kagome, and to his surprise, himself before turning to leave again. He turned to Kagome and saw her smiling serenely after the child. He could see the love of a mother in her eyes, and it astonished him.

"You make a good mother to Rin, Higurashi." He was not sure if the statement was meant as a half-compliment, or as a statement of fact. Either way he had not expected her to blush again and look at him apprehensively. As he looked at her, he realized the insinuation his words had held, as the girl had come to see him as a father figure for Rin. He was irritated that she would think that he would insinuate any such thing.

He quirked an eyebrow as he began in a sarcastic yet slightly harsh tone, "Do not worry, Higurashi, I would not stoop to taking a human as a mate, so you may consider yourself safe." Sesshoumaru watched the girl thinking that she would again be embarrassed, and was surprised again as he saw a look of hurt briefly cross her face. She turned her head back to where Rin had left to, and said in the same sarcastic tone, "Well then, I suppose I can bathe in confidence tonight." She looked back with a smirk at him, all evidence of hurt gone from her features, and turned to go to her room. Sesshoumaru watched her, oddly regretting making that hurt appear on her face, and mad with himself for even bothering to regret it. `She is merely a human; her pain and pleasure are of no heed to me.' With that he turned to go to his own room.

Kagome walked away, not entirely sure why his statement had bothered her. It was simply a very direct statement of truth, and she was sure not intended to matter to her at any rate, and yet, it had hurt to hear him say it. She sighed, and turned to change out of her dirty clothes to get ready for dinner.

*****

InuYasha had smelled the demon before it got there, but it was still a close call. They had been fighting it for a good half an hour, and it was difficult merely because they had come to find out that it had a jewel shard. Without Kagome to help them locate it, they were just hit and missing it. Finally, the Tetsusaiga hit the vulnerable spot and the demon disintegrated leaving only the jewel shard to lie on the ground in front of him.

He stooped and picked it up, hearing an evil chuckle from seemingly everywhere around him. Sango had been badly wounded by the demon, and Miroku had been unable to open his wind-tunnel because of Naraku's poisonous insects. InuYasha growled in the back of his throat at the sound of Naraku's voice. "You seem to be a lot less capable of dealing with me without your jewel detector around. I assume that you still believe her to be at home in her own time? How foolish." Again Naraku chuckled and they heard and sensed nothing else.

InuYasha's face paled and he turned to Miroku, "Miroku, take care of Sango, I need to go check on Kagome." He didn't wait for an answer before he took off towards the well that leads to Kagome's time. He was planning on going back to talk to her soon anyway. It had been about a week since she had left, and he was beginning to wonder if she was planning on never coming back again. Not that he would have blamed her. He had failed her. He had turned his back on her and she had paid for it dearly.

His eyes began to tear as he thought that, now she might be with Naraku. He was pissed that he had let this happen to Kagome. Being captured by Naraku, could, and probably would, be more painful than death. Aggravated he jumped down the well and found himself in her time. He quickly jumped out of the well and saw Kagome's brother, Souta, playing ball in the parking lot in front of the shrine, as soon as Souta saw him he went running over, a very curious look on his face.

"Hey! InuYasha, where's Kagome? She's really going to be behind in school when she decides to come back." InuYasha looked at Souta, horrified at what he had just heard. Kagome wasn't here. Naraku had her. She was in trouble, she had been for a week, and he never knew. "I'm sorry, Souta. I have to go, but I'll be back soon." He turned and went back to the well, tears streaking his cheeks.