Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...or Sesshoumaru..*dammit*
BTW I originally had this story posted on ff.net but decided to bring it here instead since I'm on this site a heck of a lot more.
Chapter 1
The sun was high in the sky; the Inu-Tachi gang had been trekking through the forest since dawn. The air was hot and humid due to the fact that they were out in the middle of the day during the summer time. Kagome looked up at the blazing sun, its harsh rays beating mercilessly upon her head, but still she trudged on. The entire group was in the same state of fatigue as Kagome even though they weren't showing it. Far in the distance was a blur of white and red, no doubt Inuyasha scouting the area ahead since his ningen(human) companions were too slow to keep up with him. The group walked on in silence.
"Can we stop for a rest Kagome?" Shippou wined breaking the unusual silence.
By now the red blur was fast approaching, furry puppy ears twitching.
"Keh! Shippou only weaklings rest."
Inuyasha walked ahead once more expecting the group to follow him, soon though he noticed that he was alone in his conquest.
"What are you guys doin'? We can't just sit while Naraku gets all the shards right Kagome?"
Inuyasha looked over to where Kagome was sitting under a tree, various items lay around her, some of which she would use to prepare lunch for the group. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, Kagome didn't even spare him a second glance.
"Inuyasha, we need to rest. Out bodies tired easily. Besides I don't sense any Shikon shards nearby."
At this, she went back to making lunch.
"Hai(Yes), I must agree with Kagome-chan, even Kirara and Shippou are tired," Sango chimed.
Inuyasha huffed turning to Miroku who was sitting on a large rock meditating. Before Inuyasha could argue his case, however, Miroku stopped him.
"Iie(No) Inuyasha, we cannot hunt for the Shikon shards on an empty stomach, now can we?"
Miroku cracked on of his eyes open as Inuyasha's stomach growled in response to his statement. Shippou yawned loudly walking lazily toward a tree, Kirara following him.
"Kagome, will you wake me when food's ready, pwease?"
He looked over to the now beaming Kagome.
"Hai, hai, Shippou-chan!"
Kagome watched as Shippou and Kirara both sprawled off on the cool grass under the tree. Kagome turned back to her now boiling pot of water.
"Sango-chan, can you pass me the Ramen, please?" Kagome looked up at the older girl sitting beside her, she smiled gratefully as Sango handed her the noodle pack.
"Arigatou(Thanks)!" Sango watched as Kagome stirred in the noodles and its flavoring
"Kagome-chan," Sango hesitated.
Kagome looked at Sango her expression relaxed,
"Hmm?"
"Kagome-chan, what are you thinking about?"
Sure it was a personal question but Kagome's relaxed look usually appeared when she thought of Inuyasha.
"Sango-chan..." Kagome let out the breath she had subconsciously been holding.
"Have you ever noticed when Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru fight…they never REALLY fight? I mean sure Sesshoumaru beats the crap outta Inuyasha but..."
It was Kagome's turn to hesitate, "Don't you think that if Sesshoumaru really wanted to, he could have killed Inuyasha?"
A low growl was heard. Both girls looked up to see a very pissed of Inuyasha.
"What the fuck are you trying to say Kagome? So you think I can't defeat Sesshoumaru huh, wench?"
Inuyasha leaped down from his perch on the tree branch. Landing directly in front of Kagome and Sango.
"Inuyasha, that's not what I, mea…"
Kagome's words were cut off however by the raging hanyou,
"Yeah right I know exactly what you meant. If you think Sesshoumaru is better than me why don't you go stay with him, bitch?"
Miroku put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder,
"Inuyasha I think that's quite enough. Kagome-sama doesn't need such arrogance on your part."
Inuyasha jerked out of Miroku's grasp, "Shut up you stupid Houshi(Monk). You shouldn't be one to talk, or are you siding with that wench?"
Kagome looked from Inuyasha's rage distorted face to Miroku's calm serene one.
"If Sesshoumaru really did wanna kill you Inuyasha, he could've done so a long time ago. But I think he doesn't want to get his hands dirty with YOUR blood," Sango fumed,'How dare her speak to Kagome-chan in the manner. All she's ever done was TRY to please him. But however hard she tried she was never good enough for Inuyasha. Only Kikyou could ever please him.'
Sango looked over to Kagome.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome's voice became a deadly whisper.
"OSUWARI(SIT)!"
Inuyasha's face slammed into the hard forest floor, making a resounding noise notifying the world that he had just been 'sat'.
"Inuyasha you insensitive jerk, maybe I should just go with Sesshoumaru, maybe with him I'll be at peace in my grave instead of listening to you complain about everything I do and say."
Inuyasha tried to get up,
"Osuwari," he did another face-plant,
"I'm not done yet, I do everything I can to please you and yet it's never enough. Grrr."
Kagome gave a little 'eep' as she remembered that she was making lunch. She turned her attention back to the pot. Sango and Miroku looked at each other then at Kagome, both thinking the same thing, 'Well, she got over that pretty fast.'
"Shippou-chan! Food's ready!" Kagome called.
Almost instantly a ball of fur came bounding toward her. She giggled as Shippou held out a bowl giving her his cute puppy eyes; pouring his bowl full of Ramen she proceeded to give everyone their fair share of the ramen. Inuyasha scoffed taking his food up to a nearby tree branch. Everyone ate in silence only to be broken by Shippou's slurping.
"Hmm…I wonder if there's a stream nearby, maybe I should go check!" Kagome said more to herself rather than the group.
Starting up she gathered everyone's empty bowls.
"Kagome-chan, I'll help you," Sango stated as she watched Kagome try to balance all the bowls.
Taking half of the bowls, Sango and Kagome went in search of a stream. As the two women left Inuyasha jumped down from his perch, bonking Shippou over the head as he made his way to the Houshi sitting down next to him.
"Oi Miroku…. I need your help," Inuyasha waited for the monk's perverted answer, however it never came.
"Inuyasha...you need to go apologize for your rude behavior," Miroku stated all knowingly, knocking his staff a couple of times emphasizing each word that came out of his mouth.
Inuyasha leaped away from the offending staff rubbing his sore head,
"Ow you stupid monk, why'd you start hitting me like that?" Inuyasha fumed at Miroku's response,
"Because you're stupid and you hurt Kagome-sama's feelings."
Inuyasha was about to lunge at the monk but held back as he heard the last part. He lowered his head, his bangs covering his golden orbs flickering with confused emotions, knowing that Miroku was right.
"Fine... I'll just apologize to her when she gets back," his voice strong with resolve.
Kagome sighed softly, thinking about why she had such a change of heart when Inuyasha decided to have a fight with her. She knew that her time in the Shengoku Jidai was growing thin and soon she would have to leave her little brother Shippou, her friend, even though perverted, Miroku, her dear sister Sango and her first love Inuyasha.
'Inuyasha' she thought. He didn't need her, he already had Kikyou. The two of them were bound to each other even after death. Kikyou was here for one reason only….Inuyasha….. all Inuyasha wanted to do was to avenge his loss of Kikyou fifty years ago, and she ….Kagome…..she was just here to help Inuyasha in his quest seeing as it was her who shattered the jewel. Mentally slapping herself from her thoughts knowing that if she dwelled upon them she would only get more depressed. Sango watched her sister's face, love, sadness, and regret, resolve….. So many emotions were there present for anyone to see, anyone who bothered to look that is.
"Kagome-chan?"" Sango poked the younger girl with her finger.
"Hmm…Sango-chan?"
Kagome was getting into one of her dazed looks and Sango knew if she went back to camp with that look that a certain hanyou would end up having dirt for dessert and a young miko would go back to her own era.
"C'mon Kagome-chan let's go back to camp," Sango looked up at the sky. "Seems like we'll have a lot of walking to do before nightfall."
Kagome laughed, "Hai Sango-chan who knew so much could happen in just one hour."
"Ano….. Kagome-chan…can I ask you something?"
Sango knew that Kagome would never hide anything from her.
"Hai," Was all Kagome's cherry voice said.
"Kagome-chan, how come you didn't yell at Inuyasha….no umm wait I meant to say how come you didn't yell that much at Inuyasha. The fights between you two usually last at least thirty minutes."
Kagome pondered this question,
"Honestly Sango-chan, the answer's quite simple; I just didn't want to fight with Inuyasha. I mean I never want to fight with Inuyasha but today I noticed that we've been doing that routine for three years and maybe it's time to stop, ne?"
Kagome turned her dark brown eyes on Sango, apparently waiting for a response. Sango just nodded however, her little sister was growing up. She wasn't the immature little girl from the future who doesn't know how to aim and use her own powers anymore, now she was a mature young lady who had perfected her skills at archery and as for her miko powers soon enough they would rival even Kikyou's power. Sango smiled warmly at Kagome.
Ruffling Kagome's raven hair she added, "Kagome-chan you're growing up so fast ne?"
Kagome scowled but it soon vanished only to be replaced by the melodious sound of her laughter, Sango soon joined in. Both women we lost in their own thoughts about Sango's comment, as the made their way back to camp. Shippou had once again fallen asleep, Kirara as well since they were both still tired from all the walking they had done. This left a certain Houshi to deal with a pent-up hanyou.
"Inuyasha, stop pacing, Kagome-sama and Sango will be back soon enough."
Miroku was trying hard not to just tie Inuyasha to a tree until the two girls came back.
"Why are they taking so long? Do you think something happened to them?"
"Why Inuyasha is that concern I hear in your voice?" came a sweet voice dripping with sarcasm.
Inuyasha whipped around to see Kagome and Sango emerge from the trees with clean dry bowls in their hands.
"Kagome where have you been? You took so long I thought you had gotten killed or something!"
Sango bonked Inuyasha over the head with her Hiraikotsu, he tone sharp and deadly,
"Are you implying that I cannot protect Kagome-chan, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha backed away slowly from Sango, knowing that if he answered he would be digging his own grave. Instead he turned his attention back to Kagome,
"Well at least you're ok. Now can we leave, we do have Shikon shards to collect or did you forget about your duty!"
"Osuwari," came Kagome's deadly sweet voice.
For the third time in just half a day Inuyasha was 'sat'. His 'sit' combined with all the hits he got from both Miroku and Sango was really starting to give him a headache, this time he was in too much pain to curse anyone out, so he remain quiet which shocked everyone, no one showed their surprise though. Kagome packed up all of her stuff and woke Shippou from his slumber.
"Is it time to go yet Kagome?"
"Hai Shippou-chan," she soothed the still half asleep kitsune.
Kirara had jumped onto Sango's lap, mewling softly to her master; in response Sango gently stroked the little neko's soft fur.
"Good!"
Kagome had finished packing everything thing back into the trademark yellow back-pack which was now on he shoulders, a still sleeping Shippou in his arms huddled against her chest.
"Finally, that took long enough!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
Kagome sent him a warning glare which managed to silence the hanyou. She walked over to Miroku who was straightening his Houshi robes.
"Ah...Miroku-sama... can you take Shippou-chan?" Miroku smiled at the young blossoming miko, someone he had learned to love and cherish as his little sister and an important ally.
"Hai, Kagome-sama," he stated taking the little kit from Kagome's hands.
"Arigatou(Thanks) Miroku-sama," Kagome beamed at the handsome older man.
Inuyasha cleared his throat,
"NOW are we ready to go?"
Everyone nodded in unison.
"Gomen nasai(I'm really sorry), Kagome," Inuyasha whispered as Kagome climbed onto his back.
"I know Inuyasha," Kagome said squeezing Inuyasha's shoulders reassuringly
The group the set off to resume their journey of collecting Shikon shards.
A/N: this is my first fanfic so please don't kill me if it's a bit stupid and the description sucks I'll try to make the other chapters better. Please review so I'll know what I need to improve upon. Ja Ne!