InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Temple of the Dog ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha. Those are the property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I thank her whole-heartedly for giving us such an amazing manga/anime to read/watch.

Temple of the Dog - Chapter 4

Kagome watched Inuyasha rush through the main chamber and enter his room. Something about his attitude as he went by warned her to give him some space. As much as she wanted to follow him, she held herself back, returning to the scrolls that Miroku had given her to read. Perhaps she could find out some things from the temple writings that would tell her what she needed to know.

She was deep in thought with scrolls scattered around her on the floor when she heard a faint knocking on the large temple doors.

Several of the older village children had come to deliver freshly made food for the deity. They stood quietly as Kagome opened the door, simply offering the food to the new priestess. Their curiosity was obvious, but they managed to keep it in check. They had hoped to catch a glimpse of the deity, making them the first villagers who had seen him since the miracle of his awakening.

Kagome smiled at the children. They were only a couple of years younger then herself, she noted, and the two oldest boys seemed to have taken an interest in the beautiful priestess who stood at the temple door. They would spend the walk back to the village discussing her, although now they showed nothing but perfect manners.

"Unfortunately, Inuyasha is not yet receiving visitors. I'm sure it won't be too much longer," Kagome smiled at the children. One of the boys prodded the other, convinced that her smile had been directed at him alone.

"If you boys wouldn't mind, there are several dishes that need to be returned to the village. I'm sure you boys can figure out who they belong to." Kagome retreated into the darkened temple, placing the freshly made meal on the altar and retrieving the clay pots from the day before. She returned to the door and offered them to the boys, who accepted them gladly, smiling at the priestess and promising that they would deliver them to the rightful owners without damage.

The boys turned and left, the younger children following. Kagome watched as they disappeared from sight before closing the temple door. She turned to see Miroku already helping himself to a large helping of the food.

"This is one of my favorite dishes," he explained as he heaped the food onto his plate.

"Be sure to leave enough for Inuyasha." Kagome couldn't help but smile. She now had a legitimate reason to disturb the deity. She waited for Miroku to finish filling his plate and then filled one for Inuyasha.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," the priest mumbled around a large mouthful of food.

"He has to eat," Kagome stated, walking slowly to Inuyasha's chambers.

"I have your lunch," she said softly at his door. When he didn't respond, she repeated herself, this time louder. Still there was no response. Kagome moved the mat aside and entered his room.

At first she didn't see him. His bed was empty and a single torch lit the front of the room. When her eyes had adjusted to the semi-darkness she noticed the sheen of his silver-white hair coming from the back of the room. Inuyasha was sitting with his back to the temple wall, obviously deep in thought.

Kagome set the plate on the small table by his bed and inched towards her deity. He didn't seem to notice her until she was almost to where he sat.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to be disturbed." His voice was rough and he sounded angry.

Kagome refused to let him faze her. "It is my duty to serve you…" she started.

"I don't need anyone to serve me! I just want to be left alone. Why can't you just leave me alone?" Inuyasha exploded, jumping to his feet. His hands were clenched into fists at his side as he turned to her.

Kagome stood firm, although she couldn't help but feel a bit frightened at his reaction. She noticed that he had something in his hand. It appeared to be a woman's hair ornament. She simply nodded to him.

"As you wish, my lord." Kagome turned as if to leave. She paused. "Your lunch is on the table. I will return later with your dinner."

She walked quickly to the door, trying to keep the tears that welled up in her eyes from falling. Why did she feel so horrible? The empty feeling from earlier returned to her. She felt sad, although she realized that perhaps it was partially from the way Inuyasha had looked. Despite his anger, she could see the pain in his eyes. Something, or someone, had hurt him deeply. Kagome longed to try to comfort him, but knew that he would reject her attempts. She returned to the bench where she had left her scrolls, trying to distract herself by reading the hieroglyphics on them. However, they appeared as blurs to her as her tears started to fall.

Inuyasha could feel the metal of the hair clip digging into his palm. He opened his hand and looked at the gold ornament, now bent by his own hand. He carefully smoothed the distressed metal and returned it to a small wooden box.

He had not meant to yell at Kagome. Her startled expression haunted him and he longed to go to her.

No, perhaps this was what it would take to keep her away from him. He had keep his distance from her if he was to remain strong. No. He would do whatever it took to keep his distance from the beautiful priestess.

The aroma from the food she had brought reached him. He shrugged and went to the table, forcing himself to eat. When he had finished, he lay back on his bed, once again staring at the ceiling. Only this time two separate images came to him. He saw Kagome's face as he had yelled at her, her usual smile fading as she suffered his anger. He also saw Kikyou's face, twisted in hatred and anger as she let loose the arrow that sealed him. He spent the remainder of the afternoon lost in his own thoughts.

Kagome was once again interrupted from her reading of the scrolls by a knock at the temple door. She stood up, surprised to find how stiff her legs were. How long had she been reading? She noted the long shadows when she opened the temple door.

Once again, several children stood at the door, offering her a pot of hot food. The same two boys who had delivered the food earlier were back, only this time there were different younger children with them. Kagome smiled and told them thank you as she accepted the pot. She went into the temple to place the food on the altar, as before, and once again returned with a clean pot to be returned. One of the boys took the pot while the other held his hand out towards Kagome.

"I would like you to have this, Priestess." In his hand was a delicate gold hair ornament.

"I really shouldn't," Kagome started, only to pause when she saw the crestfallen look on the boy's face. "It's so beautiful, I'm hardly deserving," she continued, content with the smile that lit the boy's face.

"You are more than deserving. I know it isn't much, but I know that most of the offerings for the temple are intended for the deity. I just thought that it would be nice for you…" The boy had become flustered and now just shrugged and looked at his feet.

"I'd be honored to accept it." Kagome smiled at the boy who responded with a blush and a shy smile. He quickly turned and started running in the direction of the village. The other children turned and followed, but not before several of them said good-bye to the priestess.

Kagome stood at the door for a moment before closing it once again. She noted that Miroku had already helped himself to some food. She picked up another plate and filled it, walking quietly to Inuyasha's chamber. Once again he didn't respond when she told him she had brought food. So, Kagome steeled herself and walked into his room. This time she simply removed the old plate and set the new one in its place. She kept her eyes averted, not wanting to look at him. She didn't think she could handle another of his angry glances.

"There is fresh food for you," she mumbled and then quickly left the room. Every fiber of her body screamed at her to go back, but she ignored them. He had made his feelings clear earlier, and she was going to do her best to abide by his wishes.

Inuyasha stared at the door, surprised that Kagome had left so quickly. It was unlike her. She was always so outgoing and friendly to him. He thought back to the way he had spoken earlier in the afternoon and shook his head. His words had the wanted effect on her, even though he was already starting to regret them.

No, he told himself again. There was only one way to be sure he wouldn't ever be hurt again. He would maintain his distance, no matter what the cost.

Inuyasha turned to the food and picked at it, not really tasting it. Kagome's scent was fresh in his room and he found himself searching for every precious molecule of it, savoring each breath he took. He already knew that it was going to be a long and sleepless night.

Kagome returned to the main chamber and served herself some food. She found that she wasn't really hungry, and suddenly the smell of the food only nauseated her. She pushed the food from her plate back into the pot and placed the lid on it. She then washed the dish along with the one she had taken from Inuyasha's room and straightened the altar.

She had left a number of scrolls scattered on the floor near the bench she had been sitting on. She rolled each one and put it away and finished her chores for the day. It wasn't quite dark, but Kagome wanted to be alone. She washed her face and went to her cubicle where she dressed for bed. The hard cot that she slept on was unappealing, but she lay on it.

Her mind drifted to thoughts of Inuyasha and she started to wonder again what it might feel like to sleep in his soft bed. The thought of him lying so close to her was more than she could handle and she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She longed to go to his chambers, even if only to see him and say goodnight. However, she knew she wasn't wanted there. He had made that very clear.

Sleep was a long time in coming, and even when she finally did fall asleep, her dreams were invaded by visions of Inuyasha.

Morning finally came and the three residents of Inuyasha's temple woke and quietly ate a breakfast of fruit and cheese. Miroku couldn't help but glance back and forth between his deity and the temple priestess, wondering exactly why the two were acting so distant. He tried to break the tension with some humor, only to fail miserably.

"If I wanted to be ignored, I'd go to the village and track down some beautiful young women." His comment fell on deaf ears as both Inuyasha and Kagome were deep in their own thoughts.

Inuyasha returned to his chambers with barely a word. He mumbled something about wanting to be left alone and trudged off to his room.

Kagome cleaned up the remains of their breakfast and did her morning chores, trying to ready the temple for what they knew would be a large number of visitors when they finally reopened the doors. After finishing her menial labor she retrieved the scrolls she had put away the day before and started reading them.

Miroku shrugged. If someone wanted him to know what was going on, they would tell him. And, if someone didn't tell him soon, he was bound and determined to figure out how to get one of them to spill the beans. In the meantime he did his own morning chores and then returned to the spare chamber, still determined to clear it enough for his own personal use, although his determination was slowly fading as he realized more and more just how many items had been packed into the room. It would take quite an effort to transport everything to the market for sale, and he wasn't sure exactly how his deity would take to selling off the things that had been left as offerings to him. It would take some fast talking to convince Inuyasha that his priest required a private room when the temple priestess was sleeping on a cot behind screens.

The priest was busy going through the items in the spare chamber when the knock came on the door and he was making too much noise to hear it. Kagome sighed and set the scroll she had been studying down to answer the large temple door. It took her some effort but she finally was able to move one of the large bars that held the doors closed. She pushed the door open.

Standing in the morning sunlight was the old seamstress. She flashed a toothless smile at Kagome, who couldn't help but smile back. The woman had been very pleasant to her during her fitting and she found that she looked forward to talking to her again.

"Your robes are finished, my dear," the old woman motioned to a boy standing by her. His arms were full of the robes that had been made for Kagome.

Kagome couldn't help but notice that the boy was the same one who had brought food to the temple the day before. He now gave Kagome a silly grin. The priestess had to stifle her laugh.

"Well, I guess we had better take the things inside, then," Kagome pushed the door open and moved inside, giving the old woman and the boy room to enter. She wasn't sure if she should tell Miroku that they had guests, but since the visitors were mainly there for her, she decided to handle things herself.

"You can put the clothes there." Kagome motioned to one of the stone benches in the center of the room. The boy shuffled to them and set the clothes down. The silly grin was still on his face and Kagome felt another giggle coming on. She turned quickly to the old woman. "Thank you. I could have come to your home to pick up my robes. You really didn't need to come all this way."

"It was no trouble, my dear, and having an able-bodied helper made it even easier. Anyway, I wanted to pay homage to our deity. I don't see him…" The old woman looked around the room, obviously disappointed that Inuyasha wasn't waiting for her visit.

"My lord is resting," Kagome answered, not sure how to handle Inuyasha's demand to be left alone.

"Well, we can have you try on your robes to make certain they fit. Perhaps our deity will be done with his rest before we're finished." The old seamstress picked up the top robe and offered it to Kagome. "Here, my dear. Why don't you try this one on."

Kagome accepted the robe with a smile and walked quickly to her small cubicle. She quickly changed from her normal attire to the specially made robes, delighting in how they felt against her skin. The style was simple, but elegant, even for a priestess. She could see that the workmanship was exquisite and detailed, better than anything she had ever owned. The cut was flattering to her youthful figure and she couldn't help but notice that it was shorter than her original outfit, obviously one of the instructions given to the seamstress by their rather perverted priest.

She stepped from behind the screens, oblivious to the fact that Inuyasha was peeking at her from behind his door. She looked radiant, the robes being the perfect shade against her creamy complexion. She turned slowly for the seamstress to be able to view all sides, noticing that Miroku had come from the spare chamber, wiping his dusty hands on his robes. The look on his face said more than the low whistle he gave her.

Kagome blushed. It was hardly fitting for a temple priestess to worry about style, but since the seamstress had put so much effort into making her robes, the least she could do was appreciate them.

The old woman nodded, "You do the robes more justice than they deserve, my dear. Go ahead and try on the next one."

Kagome quickly picked up the next robe and returned to her cubicle, quickly changing into what turned out to be an even more flattering robe. She once again turned slowly for the seamstress, delighting in the way the fabric flowed around her. Miroku once again whistled. His eyes were practically bulging from his head, he was staring so hard at her.

She tried on the third and then the fourth set of robes, each being more beautiful than the last. When she came from her cubicle wearing the last robe, she could have sworn she heard a noise coming from the direction of Inuyasha's chambers, but when she looked she only saw the mat covering the door. There was no sound.

Naturally, Miroku couldn't contain himself, taking the opportunity to go to Kagome. He clasped her hands in his. "Dear Priestess, it would honor me if you would agree to bear my child."

Miroku found himself sitting on the floor with Inuyasha staring down at him.

"You really are as big a pervert as your grandfather was," the deity shouted at him. He had been watching Kagome model her new robes when he heard Miroku's proposition. He hadn't taken time to think but had reacted, running from his room and knocking the priest away from Kagome.

The old woman came forward. "Well, done, my lord. It is right for you to defend your priestess from such inappropriate proposals."

Inuyasha turned to the old woman, seeming to realize for the first time that there were others present in the temple.

Kagome stepped forward. "My lord, I would like to present the village seamstress to you. She is the one who made my robes for me."

The old woman gave an awkward bow. "I would be honored, my lord, if you would allow me to fit you for new clothing. While you are ageless, surely your clothes are not."

Inuyasha frowned, not having expected to be confronted by the old woman.

Miroku scrambled to his feet, still rather shaken that he had angered his deity. He felt he would have to do some fast talking to smooth things over.

"Surely, my lord, you would like to have the village's amazing seamstress make you some new clothes. You can see how well Kagome's robes are done. It seems fitting that one of your position should wear only the best attire."

"See, my lord, even your priest agrees with me. It would only take a moment, and I have several bolts of fabric that would be perfect for you." The old woman had already taken out a knotted cord and held it next to Inuyasha's kilt and counting the segments to figure out the length. She paused, needing to measure his waist and hips but leery of doing so without his permission.

"Perhaps my lord would be more comfortable with someone he knows measuring him?" Miroku smirked, hoping to make up for angering his deity and still unable to add some of his dry humor.

"You are not going to touch me," Inuyasha snarled at the priest.

"Actually, it wasn't me that I was thinking about." Miroku's gaze traveled to Kagome.

The priestess blushed when she realized everyone, including Inuyasha, was looking at her. She stammered, "I don't know how to measure someone for clothing."

"It's easy, my dear. You saw how I measured you for your robes. I simply need to know how many units around our deity is. You only have to measure his waist and his hips, my dear."

Kagome's blush deepened. She opened her mouth to object, only to be interrupted by Inuyasha.

"If it will get everyone to leave me alone."

The old seamstress held the knotted cord out to Kagome. The priestess wasn't sure what to do, but felt she couldn't refuse. She slowly reached out to take the cord from the old woman, turning to Inuyasha who stood passively only a few feet away.

Kagome moved slowly to Inuyasha, carefully reaching around him to draw the cord around his waist. She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks again and lowered her head, hoping he wouldn't notice it. She quickly measured him, pinching the cord at the point where it crossed itself. She let the loose end fall, keeping her fingers around the cord and counting the number of units from the end to her fingers. She told the seamstress the length and then knelt by Inuyasha. She reached around him again, bringing the cord around his hips. Her arms were barely long enough to reach around him, bringing her head close to his hips when she passed the cord behind him. She closed her eyes and hoped that he wouldn't notice her reaction as she brushed against him.

Inuyasha was stunned when Kagome started to measure him. He held his arms away from his sides, allowing her to pass the cord around him. Her touch was gentle and he found himself relaxing under it. His resolve from earlier threatened to crumble, but at that moment he didn't care. Kagome's scent reached him as she pressed her face against his thigh, reaching to pass the cord behind him. He realized that his body was reacting to her closeness and he pulled away from her as soon as she had measured his hips.

"If you're done, then I'm going to my chambers. I don't want to be disturbed for the rest of the day." Inuyasha stormed off to his room, hoping that the others hadn't seen how he had reacted to Kagome's touch.

Miroku smirked. The others seemed oblivious, but he had noticed Inuyasha's reaction. Of course, he couldn't blame his deity. She was quite beautiful, and of course, the new robes he had made for her only accented her beauty. He was having a difficult time controlling himself whenever she was near.

Kagome still knelt where Inuyasha had been, confused at his abrupt departure. She looked apologetically at the old seamstress before telling her the measurement. The priestess stood, brushing some dust from her new robes before turning to the old woman.

"I'm sorry. Inuyasha can be a bit… temperamental," she said, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude. He's just not comfortable around people."

The old woman smiled. "No apology necessary, my dear. He is, after all, our deity, and who are we to question his ways or motives. I have what I need and I'm sure he isn't going to be too particular about the style or fabric. I'll use my best judgment and should have several garments ready by tomorrow. After all, a kilt is much quicker to sew than a set of robes."

The old seamstress allowed Kagome to escort her to the door. After the heavy wooden doors were closed behind her, the old woman laughed. Her helper looked at her questioningly. "Never mind, my boy. You are too young to understand these things." She continued to walk in the direction of the village. Inuyasha's reaction to Kagome had not gone unnoticed by her, either.

Miroku decided it would be best not to say anything. Of course, if Inuyasha decided to say anything about his inappropriate behavior regarding the temple priestess, Miroku would have a trump card to play himself. It surprised him that a deity could be so easily swayed by a beautiful priestess. But then again, he knew the history of the temple and how Inuyasha had come to be sealed by the first priestess there. He could only hope that history would not be repeating itself here.

"Wait here a minute, " the priest told Kagome. He turned and disappeared into the spare chamber.

She could hear the sound of a heavy object being dragged. Suddenly Miroku reappeared at the door of the chamber, triumphant with a large wooden chest in tow.

"Now that you have such nicely made robes, I'm sure you could use this to store them in." He pulled the chest the rest of the way to her cubicle, moving aside one of the screens to allow him to slide it into her make-shift chamber. He placed the chest at the foot of her cot, noting that she had placed a small bowl on each side of her bed. Each bowl was filled with water and the flowers the children had given her in the village. Otherwise her small room was completely unadorned. He would have to choose a few things for her to use. After all, a beautiful woman should be comfortable. Perhaps she would be appreciative of his efforts.

Miroku moved the screen back into place and stood up, rubbing his lower back as he stood up. He had overdone it the past few days working in the spare chamber.

"Thank you," Kagome said, peeking behind the screens to see the ornate chest in her cubicle. She excused herself and spent some time putting away her new wardrobe, grateful to have an excuse to be by herself. Her hands were still trembling as she carefully folded her new robes and placed them into the chest. Why had she reacted so strongly to what had just happened?

Kagome sat on her cot, so deep in thought that she didn't hear the knock on the large wooden doors of the temple. She was started several moments later by someone tapping on one of her wooden screens.

"There is fresh food here. I thought you might like to eat it while it's hot." Miroku mumbled, obviously having already helped himself to his meal.

Kagome went to the small altar and filled a plate of food, glancing nervously at the doorway of Inuyasha's chamber. She quickly walked to the door.

"I have your lunch, Inuyasha." When she didn't get a response she carefully moved aside the mat and stepped into the room.

It only took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkened room. Inuyasha was not lying on his bed, as he usually was, and she didn't see him lurking in the shadows like before. Perhaps he had slipped out while she was in her own small make-shift room. She walked to the small table by the bed and set down the plate of food.

Kagome turned to leave, but paused. She found herself drawn to the soft bed. She glanced around the room once more to be sure she was alone before quickly climbing into it. The soft mattress welcomed her and she found herself curling up in the middle of it. Her head lay on the soft pillow and she found herself thinking that this was his bed. She wondered what it would be like to lie here with him. What am I thinking? Again her thoughts confused her.

A noise outside the chamber door started her. She quickly climbed out of the bed and turned to smooth the mattress and pillow before leaving the room. She found Miroku in the main chamber, dragging a statue across the room. Apparently he was still trying to make room in the spare chamber.

Unknown to Kagome, Inuyasha had been watching her the entire time. He sprawled across one of the ornate beams that supported the walls of the chamber, curious about her actions. He watched her silently, jumping down from the beams when she left the room and moving to stare at his bed. Why had she lain on his bed? He felt drawn to it, crawling into it himself. The mattress was still warm where Kagome had been only moments before. Her scent lingered on the bed and he found himself breathing deeply of it. He curled up where Kagome had been and found himself unable to shake her from his mind. He fell asleep thinking of her.

Kagome quickly filled a plate for herself and ate before starting her afternoon chores. They would have to work hard to finish the cleaning and preparation of the temple if they were going to open the doors to visitors soon.

The afternoon went quickly. Both Kagome and Miroku were still busy when there was another knock at the temple door.

Kagome answered, finding the same boy who had brought food before standing there. He held out a pot of food, fidgeting and stammering as he offered it to her. She smiled sweetly at him and took the dish, surprised that it had grown so late. As usual, she set the dish on the small altar and told Miroku their dinner had arrived.

"Where is Inuyasha?" she asked the priest, who was already filling his plate.

"In his chambers," Miroku answered as he made himself comfortable and started to eat.

Kagome shook her head. "I took his lunch in earlier but he wasn't there."

Miroku shrugged. "He hasn't left the temple. He's probably up in the rafters. That's where he used to sit when my grandfather was priest here."

Kagome looked worriedly at the door to Inuyasha's room. Surely the priest was mistaken. She took the plate of food and walked to the deity's chamber, calling out softly to him that she had his evening meal. Once again she didn't get a response so she walked into his room.

She was surprised to find him sleeping in his bed. The plate of food from earlier was untouched so she traded it for the fresh food.

Inuyasha looked so peaceful sleeping in his bed. Kagome found herself staring at him, studying the details of his face as he slept. She was reminded of how she had first seen him, sealed to the pillar. Silvery-white hair fanned out over his shoulders. H wore only his usual kilt, not even sandals. She realized that she had never seen him wearing sandals. He seemed to prefer bare feet.

Kagome noticed that there was no sign of the place where the arrow had pierced him. In fact, his skin was flawless. Her gaze fell on his shoulders and chest, traveling slowly to his feet. He was slender, yet muscular. She could feel a blush rising in her cheeks as she thought back to that morning.

Why had he retreated to his chambers so suddenly? Could he have been that disgusted by her touch? No, something told her that it hadn't been that.

A slight smile played on the corners of his mouth and she found herself wondering what he was dreaming about.

She was startled when he opened his eyes and stretched. He looked directly at her.

"Excuse me, my lord, but I brought your evening meal," she stammered before quickly turning and leaving the room.

Inuyasha was surprised at her hasty retreat. He found himself feeling disappointed that she hadn't stayed longer.

Kagome quickly cleaned off the plate she had taken from Inuyasha's room and fixed one for herself. Miroku had already finished eating and was busy poring over some scrolls, too tired from his exertions earlier in the day to do anything else. She took her plate to her cubicle and sat on the edge of her cot, picking at the food. It was difficult to eat with her stomach feeling the way it did. Why did Inuyasha always seem to affect her this way?

Luckily it was late and both she and Miroku had worked hard all day. The priest drew some water and disappeared into the spare chamber where he washed off the dirt from the day. When he reappeared he offered to refill the basin for Kagome. She gratefully accepted and quickly washed herself. She longed to go back to the river, despite her recent run-in with the crocodile, but knew she wouldn't be able to go alone. Her choices were the obviously perverted priest or Inuyasha. At that moment, neither choice held promise.

Miroku had locked the temple doors and tended to the fire and torches while Kagome had prepared for bed. He was already on his cot, mumbling something about why a temple priest should be given a more comfortable bed.

Thoughts of Inuyasha sleeping in his soft bed flooded her mind. Kagome had a feeling it was going to be another one of those nights. She was going to find it difficult to sleep with visions of him invading her dreams. She lay on her hard cot, looking at the flickering torchlight on the ceiling and thinking about Inuyasha until sleep finally claimed her.

Kagome didn't notice Inuyasha watching her from his doorway as she went to her make-shift chamber. As she disappeared behind the wooden screens that served as her walls, he slowly let the mat fall back into place. He, too, was doomed to a sleepless night.

Damn it, he thought to himself. Why was he letting this woman get under his skin? He had vowed to never again trust another person, and here he found himself looking forward to seeing her. The sound of her voice. Her scent. He closed his eyes and once again visualized her at the river. Everything about her was getting to him.

Damn it. He jumped lightly to the rafters and sprawled across one, trying to get comfortable. He finally fell asleep, only to dream about the young priestess.

Morning found Miroku up and about early. He had slept well and was anxious to finally open the temple to worshippers. He found that his concerns about Inuyasha's behavior seemed inconsequential to the fact that there would be many worshippers anxious to see their newly awoken deity.

With worshippers came offerings. It was his hope that his hints to several of the village craftsmen would result in a new, soft bed for himself. He had grown used to sleeping in Inuyasha's chambers and had no plan on spending much more time sleeping on the hard cot that now served as his bed. Perhaps, once he cleared the spare chamber for himself and had a soft, inviting bed like Inuyasha's, he might even be able to persuade the beautiful priestess of the temple to share it with him.

Yes, he thought to himself. Surely she would tire of Inuyasha's attitude and finally appreciate the priest's gentle ways. He quickly replaced spent torches and put away his scrolls from the night before.

Kagome woke up feeling as though she hadn't slept at all. She dressed quickly and went to the main chamber to prepare breakfast for Inuyasha. She doubted she would be able to eat with her stomach feeling like it was tied up in knots. She couldn't help but worry that he had seen her lying in his bed. If he had been in the rafters, it was possible. But then again, she had called out to him and he hadn't answered. Perhaps he had been asleep. She tried to convince herself that he hadn't seen her.

Kagome was cutting some cheese and a large, sweet melon for their breakfast when Inuyasha appeared at his bedroom door. His hair was rumpled, and he looked like he hadn't slept.

Miroku quickly greeted him and suggested that perhaps he should prepare for the upcoming visitors to the temple.

Inuyasha growled softly and walked to the center of the main chamber where he dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged. He glanced at Kagome, who was still putting his breakfast together. Why did that blasted priest have to be so cheerful? Why did he even have to be there? Inuyasha wanted to speak with Kagome about the day before, but knew he wouldn't be able to say what had to be said in front of Miroku.

Kagome turned to him and handed him a plate, turning away quickly to fix a plate for Miroku. She hoped that Inuyasha hadn't noticed her blushing. She quickly placed some food on a plate for the priest and handed it to him. His smirk told her that he, at least, had noticed her discomfort and seemed to be enjoying watching her squirm.

The three ate their breakfasts in silence. Miroku glanced occasionally at both Inuyasha and Kagome, wondering exactly why they were acting so uncomfortable. Well, he was sure he'd find out later. In the meantime, they had to be ready for the first worshippers.

The priest put his plate down and stood up. "Well, we might as well open the doors. We can't keep the temple closed forever."

Kagome quickly gathered the dirty plates and washed them. She smoothed her hair and robes and readied herself to greet the worshippers.

Inuyasha leaned against a pillar moodily. He, for one, was not looking forward to what was to come.