I was checking my email today, and told myself that if I had a review, I would have to write another chapter.... and sure enough...
So a big thanks goes out to all the reviewers so far, and to lone-puppy, who has given me my latest review, and was the reason I wrote more. Thanks for the motivation!
A few more chapters left. I have no idea what I shall do...
love, Me(A)ga(i)n
"How're you doing back there, Hojo?" called a very rapidly moving Inuyasha, still running like the wind.
"Uhh... I'm okay," lied a very green Hojo. The last time he had felt such nausea had been when he went to Tokyo Disney, and had ridden the Spinny Teacups a few times too many. "H-how about you? Smell Kagome yet?"
"Hojo, apparently you don't know me that well. I can always smell Kagome, no matter where she is or what she's doing. Except for when she goes back home," he said, sounding almost bitter. "But even then, her smell still lingers on the well."
At this point in time, Inuyasha had slowed down to a light run, for which Hojo was thankful. "Would you mind if I got off for a bit, Inuyasha?" asked Hojo, still feeling a slight vertigo.
"Oh. Sure," he said as he let Hojo down.
They jogged side by side for a little while, until Hojo broke the silence. "Hey, uh, Inuyasha?"
"Huh."
"Y'know how I'm a reincarnation of Koga?"
"Yeah?"
"Who's Kagome a reincarnation of?"
Inuyasha stopped jogging. Hojo stopped as well, and looked back at him. "What's wrong, Inuyasha? Do you know who she's a reincarnation of?"
Inuyasha shook his head, and began walking. "Uh, some girl."
Hojo looked up at Inuyasha's normally animated, now sullen face. "Any girl you know?" he asked, almost timidly.
"No. I don't know her at all," Inuyasha heavily replied. He left it at that, and they continued to walk through the forest side by side.
"More rice, Kagome?"
"No, I'm stuffed, thanks though."
Kagome, Sango, Kirara and Shippo all sat around the fire, all troubles forgotten as they ate to their content. Kagome had told Sango the whole confusing story of the ramen and Hojo, omitting a few details, while the rice cooked. Kirara rested next to Sango, and a refreshed Shippo was enjoying a bowl of his own rice on Kagome's lap.
"Mmmmm, this sure is good, Kagome!" he cried.
Kagome laughed at the little kitsune's enthusiasm. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it, Shippo."
"You know what would be REALLY good with it?"
"What's that."
"RAMEN!"
Kagome laughed. "Shippo, I don't think there's any more packages left! Inuyasha ate the last of it earlier."
"B-but what about that bag that you left at home? The one that you took a whole trip back home just to get? Where's you're bag, Kagome? Does Inuyasha have it?" Shippo asked, looking at Kagome with round, curious eyes.
"Come to think of it, Shippo, I have no clue where the missing bag of ramen is. Last I saw, Hojo had it! Him or Inuyasha probably have it right now," she said, confused.
"Well, they'd better come quick, because I want some ramen!" said Shippo, getting up to go color some pictures. "Oh, I want my Pocky, too!" he shouted, as he walked off.
Sango smiled with Kagome as Shippo walked off with Kirara. "So, if the ramen is with this guy Hojo, what exactly is it that took you and Inuyasha so long at your house?"
Kagome could feel herself blush, but quickly recovered. She had omitted the part about the kiss, even though she knew she could tell Sango. "Well, like I said, we talked to Grandpa about reincarnations, and Inuyasha ate some of my brother's personal stash of ramen."
"Kagome, is that all?"
Kagome was silent. Sango was really good at detecting when someone wasn't telling the whole truth. "N-no."
"What happened?"
Kagome sighed, and took in a breath. "Well, you know how Inuyasha was acting all weird today? As in, NICE to me?"
Sango nodded, daring to allow herself a slight smile. "Uh huh... well? What happened?"
"Well...we were walking to the well to go back home, and I told him that he was freaking me out... and we started to fight a little bit, and..."
Sango's eyebrows flew up. "Yeesss?"
"I guess I was yelling too much, and... he kissed me to shut me up."
Sango smirked and shook her head. "I'm sure that's not the only reason he did that."
Kagome blushed again. "Well... then we both fell into the well on accident, and started to fight some more again."
"Typical."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "You're telling me. Anyways, when we got back here, I kissed him myself."
Sango smiled. "I've been waiting for that."
Kagome shook her head. "When I think about it, it's ridiculous. He's still entirely devoted to Kikyo...isn't he? He wouldn't love me, or anything."
"Well... do you love him?"
Kagome stared at Sango. She'd thought about it in the past, but no one had ever asked her that. She opened her mouth to answer, what would come out, she didn't know, when there was a rustle of bushes behind them.
Inuyasha and, surprisingly, Hojo came out into the clearing, unscratched, not fighting, wrestling or arguing. Kagome's heart started to beat when she saw them. However, they looked as if they hadn't heard a single word of the conversation. They look almost... amicable, Kagome thought.
"H-Hojo! Inuyasha! You're still here! At least you're safe!" She got up and ran over to them. She hugged Hojo, just happy that he was in one piece. Inuyasha drew back a little, shocked at Kagome's reaction to Hojo. "Hojo, why don't you go get some rice?" Hojo nodded, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha together. Kagome took Inuyasha's hand, and dragged him into the forest a little ways.
"Kagome, what-"
He had no time to answer. Kagome had interrupted him with her lips on his, making his heart beat faster than it had before. Her hands wrapped around his head, pulling him down to her height level. She let off of him, their heads still touching.
"Wh-what's that for?" he asked, whispering and not knowing why.
"For being you. And for returning Hojo in one whole piece."
He grinned, making her feel weak. Maybe he does feel something stronger for me after all, she thought.
He pulled her in closer to him, shocking both himself and her. "Kagome, I... I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For being too mean. And too nice."
Kagome laughed. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm the one who should be sorry."
"Now, what do you have to be sorry about?"
"For... not being good enough for you. I never can do anything right, and I S-I-T you for no good reason sometimes, and... I'm sorry if I've sent any signals that there was any other person in my life I've cared about more than you."
"D-do you mean that?"
"I've never said anything and meant it more."
He loosened up on her a little bit, and looked at her. "You're not good enough for me, Kagome, you're TOO good for me. It means a lot... Sorry, I'm not good at this. I care so much about you, and... It's... okay that you sit me sometimes."
Kagome laughed, and moved in to kiss him again. Their lips had almost met, when a distant call was heard.
"Did I just hear my name being called?" asked Inuyasha, confused.
"Oh! It's probably Miroku. Koga's hunting him right now."
"Do you think I should help him?" he asked.
"Eh, you might as well. Damn Miroku. Always interrupting," Kagome said, as they walked back to the campfire.
Hojo was enjoying a bowl of rice, as Shippo peered into his face, and then scribbled something down on the paper in front of him with his crayons. Kagome went over to Sango, who smiled.
"We're going to go get Miroku. Hojo, can you come too, please?"
Hojo put down the bowl of rice. "Why me? I'm not adventurous at all."
"Yeah, but you're probably the only one who Koga'll listen to. He'd just call me his woman and kidnap me. Again," Kagome said, slightly bristling.
"She's right," said Inuyasha. "C'mon Hojo."
The trio walked off into the woods to rescue Miroku. Shippo looked after them for a minute, then turned to Sango. "Sango, who's that guy?"
"That's Kagome's friend Hojo," Sango said, cleaning up.
"What's he doing here?"
"He came to give Kagome her ramen."
"How'd he get through the well?"
Sango sat down next to Shippo. "He's a reincarnation of Koga, so he had a jewel in his body, too, just like Kagome and Kikyo."
"Ah," said Shippo, appearing to be done with his questioning.
Sango was just about to get up again, when Shippo spoke up again.
"He sure is nothing like Koga!"
Sango nodded, sitting back down. "I can agree with that. They're both chivalrous, but Koga seems to be a bit more... boisterous."
"What's 'chizzlerous?'"
Sango laughed. "Chivalry is when one person, usually a man, does something honorable for another, usually a woman."
"So if I helped you clean up, would I be chivelruss?"
Sango laughed more. "Of course you would be, Shippo."
Shippo held up the drawing of Hojo. "Do you like?"
"I love it. I'm sure Hojo would like it, too. Why don't you give it to him when he comes back from rescuing Miroku?"
"Okay! ... Sango?"
Sango sighed and shook her head at Shippo, who laughed at her.
"I think Hojo's very chivalrous to come through the well just to bring Kagome Inuyasha's ramen and MY Pocky."
"Very chivalrous."
Remembering his proposal, he hopped up, and helped Sango clear up the campsite.
Miroku was crouched beneath a fallen tree, sitting perfectly still so as not to disturb the air. He had never been more scared in his life. Well, maybe that one time when he accosted that farmer's daughter instead of "exorcising" her like he had claimed to be doing, and the farmer found him and come after him with a very sharp samurai sword... now that had been scary. Sure, he had fought thousands of demons before with Kagome and Inuyasha and Sango, but now he had an actual, full-blooded demon out to personally ruin his life. It was all he could do to not hear "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die" over and over in his mind.
A branch snapped a few yards off. Yep, I'm gonna die, he thought.
Koga's voice sounded from somewhere behind him. "Come out, wherever you are! You're lucky I gave you a head start, Monk! You can run, but... You can... run... how does the saying go?"
"But you can't hide!" Miroku yelled, immediately clapping his hand over his mouth.
"AH-HAH!" maniacally screamed Koga, dangling upside down from the fallen tree.
"INUYASHA! HELP!" Miroku shouted again, running by Koga's upside down body, pushing him to the ground.
"OUCH! You can run, but you can't... how does it go again?" Koga shouted after Miroku.
"You can't hiiiiiiide," Miroku trailed off.
"I'll get him. He can't go far in that dress, anyways," said Koga, running after him.