CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
*
Inuyasha acted strange all the next morning. While Kagome was peeling the bandages from his back and chest, he just stared at his feet and didn't talk. He was nervous, jumping when she talked. And he had definitely been avoiding looking at her when she took the sling off his mended arm.
Normally he only acted this way when he saw Kikyo. But that couldn't be it, Kagome thought. The others would have noticed if he were sneaking off. Besides, he's only been acting this way since last night. And I've barely been away from him since the battle started.
"That hurt," Inuyasha complained.
"Sorry." Kagome frowned. What's his problem, then? she wondered.
Miroku was watching Inuyasha oddly as well. As the two men walked out of the hut, the monk said quietly, "Inuyasha... is there anything you want to tell Kagome on the way back?"
Inuyasha stared at him, red-faced. "What the... how did... w-why do you say that?"
"I guessed," Miroku said loftily.
Inuyasha stared at him, still flushed. Then he stalked off, mumbling under his breath. "Damn dirty-minded monk," he whispered.
The group was unnaturally silent as they walked down the forest path leading back to Kaede's village. Inuyasha kept staring off into space, trying to avoid Kagome's attempts to talk to him. I'll just tell her, he thought. Tell her out in the open... be honest. Just say it. No reason to get all flustered. Won't get all weird this time. Everyone is safe and I gotta tell her now...
Inuyasha took a deep breath and grabbed Kagome's arm. "Kagome, come with me!" he said brusquely.
Kagome was puzzled, but she followed him anyway.
Sango watched curiously as the half-demon led Kagome off the path and into the bushes. "What are they doing?" she whispered to Miroku.
"I think Inuyasha has something he wants to say to Kagome," Miroku said mysteriously. He paused, listening.
Then a girl's shriek split the air. "SIT!", followed by a thunderous crash and a yowl of pain. A flock of frightened birds flew from the trees. Miroku smiled, satisfied. "I see he's told her," he said.
*
"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha choked. He staggered up, with dust on his face and in his eyes. "Let me explain!"
Kagome was just inhaling for another "sit," but she stopped. Her face was flushed with anger, and Inuyasha recognized the dangerous glint in her eyes. Arg, I should have tried to soften her first, he thought. Got her prepared... now there's no backing out of it.
"Kagome, I'm sorry," he said, getting back to his feet. "Believe me, I didn't know... what she was until I smelled her real scent. Until then... I thought Mihaka was you." He shifted uncomfortably. "She looked like ya, sounded the same, even smelled the same. And then..."
A weird look came over Kagome's face. "You didn't..."
"No, I didn't!" Inuyasha said quickly. "She tried, but I... I just kissed her." His eyes flicked away nervously. "A lot."
"How much a lot?"
"Dammit, Kagome," Inuyasha mumbled. "Do I have to tell you just how much? It was a lot, okay?"
Kagome was having trouble looking Inuyasha in the face. She couldn't remember when she had blushed this much -- and worst of all, she wasn't sure whether she was thrilled or outraged, if Inuyasha had kissed Mihaka. "So why did you kiss her?" she asked hesitantly.
"'Cause I thought she was you," Inuyasha mumbled. "And she was comin' on to me."
Kagome paused, and stared down at her feet. "Did you like it?"
Inuyasha erupted, "Dammit, Kagome, YES I liked it!" He sank down into a crouch, looking dejected. "But then I realized she wasn't you, and..." He hesitated. "It wasn't just disgusting that I almost... did it with one of Naraku's offspring. I just... that was the first time."
"First time what?"
"First time a girl ever said she wanted me," Inuyasha mumbled, hunching over. "First time in my entire life a girl said that she really wanted me. And it was all a lie. I should've known." He stared glumly off into the trees, with his fingers scratching restlessly in the dust. "I should've known it all along."
Kagome hesitated, then crouched down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "If I had really said it," she said softly, "it wouldn't have been a lie."
Inuyasha stiffened, then stared at her. He looked a little confused. Was she saying that she wouldn't lie to him, or was she... no, it couldn't be. The half-demon sighed heavily, but he felt somewhat reassured by her words. He wasn't sure why. Kagome rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment longer, then gave his baggy sleeve a tug. "Hey, we should go. The others are gonna be waiting for us."
"Uh, okay." Inuyasha stood up and let her lead him back to the road.
THE END
Author's note: Thank you all for writing, and I'm very flattered that you guys liked it. No, I don't plan to bring Marako back. :) To sashlea, Inuyasha was talking in the future tense; to Lil-lo, thank you, I didn't notice that. I'll try to fix it soon.
*
Inuyasha acted strange all the next morning. While Kagome was peeling the bandages from his back and chest, he just stared at his feet and didn't talk. He was nervous, jumping when she talked. And he had definitely been avoiding looking at her when she took the sling off his mended arm.
Normally he only acted this way when he saw Kikyo. But that couldn't be it, Kagome thought. The others would have noticed if he were sneaking off. Besides, he's only been acting this way since last night. And I've barely been away from him since the battle started.
"That hurt," Inuyasha complained.
"Sorry." Kagome frowned. What's his problem, then? she wondered.
Miroku was watching Inuyasha oddly as well. As the two men walked out of the hut, the monk said quietly, "Inuyasha... is there anything you want to tell Kagome on the way back?"
Inuyasha stared at him, red-faced. "What the... how did... w-why do you say that?"
"I guessed," Miroku said loftily.
Inuyasha stared at him, still flushed. Then he stalked off, mumbling under his breath. "Damn dirty-minded monk," he whispered.
The group was unnaturally silent as they walked down the forest path leading back to Kaede's village. Inuyasha kept staring off into space, trying to avoid Kagome's attempts to talk to him. I'll just tell her, he thought. Tell her out in the open... be honest. Just say it. No reason to get all flustered. Won't get all weird this time. Everyone is safe and I gotta tell her now...
Inuyasha took a deep breath and grabbed Kagome's arm. "Kagome, come with me!" he said brusquely.
Kagome was puzzled, but she followed him anyway.
Sango watched curiously as the half-demon led Kagome off the path and into the bushes. "What are they doing?" she whispered to Miroku.
"I think Inuyasha has something he wants to say to Kagome," Miroku said mysteriously. He paused, listening.
Then a girl's shriek split the air. "SIT!", followed by a thunderous crash and a yowl of pain. A flock of frightened birds flew from the trees. Miroku smiled, satisfied. "I see he's told her," he said.
*
"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha choked. He staggered up, with dust on his face and in his eyes. "Let me explain!"
Kagome was just inhaling for another "sit," but she stopped. Her face was flushed with anger, and Inuyasha recognized the dangerous glint in her eyes. Arg, I should have tried to soften her first, he thought. Got her prepared... now there's no backing out of it.
"Kagome, I'm sorry," he said, getting back to his feet. "Believe me, I didn't know... what she was until I smelled her real scent. Until then... I thought Mihaka was you." He shifted uncomfortably. "She looked like ya, sounded the same, even smelled the same. And then..."
A weird look came over Kagome's face. "You didn't..."
"No, I didn't!" Inuyasha said quickly. "She tried, but I... I just kissed her." His eyes flicked away nervously. "A lot."
"How much a lot?"
"Dammit, Kagome," Inuyasha mumbled. "Do I have to tell you just how much? It was a lot, okay?"
Kagome was having trouble looking Inuyasha in the face. She couldn't remember when she had blushed this much -- and worst of all, she wasn't sure whether she was thrilled or outraged, if Inuyasha had kissed Mihaka. "So why did you kiss her?" she asked hesitantly.
"'Cause I thought she was you," Inuyasha mumbled. "And she was comin' on to me."
Kagome paused, and stared down at her feet. "Did you like it?"
Inuyasha erupted, "Dammit, Kagome, YES I liked it!" He sank down into a crouch, looking dejected. "But then I realized she wasn't you, and..." He hesitated. "It wasn't just disgusting that I almost... did it with one of Naraku's offspring. I just... that was the first time."
"First time what?"
"First time a girl ever said she wanted me," Inuyasha mumbled, hunching over. "First time in my entire life a girl said that she really wanted me. And it was all a lie. I should've known." He stared glumly off into the trees, with his fingers scratching restlessly in the dust. "I should've known it all along."
Kagome hesitated, then crouched down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "If I had really said it," she said softly, "it wouldn't have been a lie."
Inuyasha stiffened, then stared at her. He looked a little confused. Was she saying that she wouldn't lie to him, or was she... no, it couldn't be. The half-demon sighed heavily, but he felt somewhat reassured by her words. He wasn't sure why. Kagome rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment longer, then gave his baggy sleeve a tug. "Hey, we should go. The others are gonna be waiting for us."
"Uh, okay." Inuyasha stood up and let her lead him back to the road.
THE END
Author's note: Thank you all for writing, and I'm very flattered that you guys liked it. No, I don't plan to bring Marako back. :) To sashlea, Inuyasha was talking in the future tense; to Lil-lo, thank you, I didn't notice that. I'll try to fix it soon.