Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…

Blue: So… Another scenario that just sort of rattled about in my brain for a while... Hm, slight OOCness, but there are reasons for that… Alrighty then, enjoy!

If you braid my hair, I'll braid yours!

One-shot?

Kagome Higurashi stumbled into the small clearing, grinning at the sight of the steaming water.

'Thank Kami! It feels like it's been ages since I last had a bath, and this is just what I need!' The young miko thought, quickly stripping before she stepped into the awaiting warmth of the hot spring. She let out a contented sigh of satisfaction, closing her eyes and allowing herself to sink into the water.

"Comforting, isn't it?"

Kagome's eyes snapped open, and she had to stifle the urge to scream. There, lying in the middle of the hot spring was none other than the Shichinin-tai leader, Bankotsu. He was stretched languidly across a large rock, leaning back on his elbows so he was raised slightly out of the water. Beads of sweat rolled slowly down his sculpted chest, causing his long hair to cling to his torso and dip into the water. Kagome couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight.

"Jakostu?"

Kagome tore her eyes away from his body, looking at his face. A small strip of cloth covered his eyes, hiding her true identity from his view. Bankotsu reached up towards the cloth, and Kagome quickly coughed, trying to deepen her voice.

"Ah… Yes, comforting."

"Jakotsu, are you alright? Your voice is squeaking…"

"Um… The vapors are starting to clog my throat."

Bankotsu grinned, letting his hand fall back into the water. Suddenly he gathered his hair together, throwing it over his shoulder as he turned over so his chest was pressing against the rock.

'Aw, and he has such great abs, too…' Kagome thought in disappointment, before mentally smacking herself.

"Well? Are you going to braid or not?" His impatient and cocky tone was starting to grate on Kagome's nerves, but she bit back her angry retort and moved so that she was directly behind Bankotsu. Her fingers began to shake as she separated his hair while still trying to keep her chest from brushing his back.

'What have I gotten myself into?'

But, despite her worries about being found out, Kagome deftly began to plait Bankotsu's thick hair, unconsciously reveling in the luxurious feeling of it.

'I wonder how they get their hair like this… If only my hair was this soft! I mean, I really need to change conditioners…' Kagome ignored her random thoughts, chalking it up to the near death situation she was currently in.

When Kagome finished with Bankotsu's hair, she used one of the hair ties around her wrist to hold the braid in place. She had brought them for Sango, but that didn't really matter right now, considering the fact that she was standing behind an infamous assassin…

Without warning Bankotsu spun around, grabbing Kagome's wrists and pulling her flush against his chest. The knife he held had missed its mark, for he had anticipated a male with a broader build. He hissed in surprise, obviously not expecting the intruder to be female.

"Inuyasha's wench?"

Though Kagome was scared, embarrassed, and very self conscious at the moment, her anger overrode all other emotions. With a snarl of pure animalistic ferocity she wrenched her arms free of Bankotsu's grip, and she moved back from him slightly.

"I am not Inuyasha's wench! My name is Kagome, Ka-go-me!" Kagome punctuated each of her words with a hard jab at Bankotsu's stomach. When she was finished, she crossed her arms over her breasts, a slight flush arising in her cheeks. As Bankotsu stared at her, however, she realized exactly what she had just done.

In the blink of an eye he had turned her around, and began braiding her hair.

"Wha-"

"It's only fair that I braid yours. Jakotsu never gets my braid right." Bankotsu used the strip of material that had once covered his eyes, and bound her hair so the braid would stay. As if coming to an agreement, the two exited the water, quickly putting on their clothes.

"We won't speak of this to anyone." Bankotsu said, turning away from Kagome.

"I agree…"

And with that, the two walked in opposite directions. Kagome looked over her shoulder once, only to find that Bankotsu had disappeared.

"Oy, wench, you were gone for far too long! And what the hell is with your hair?"

Kagome only smiled fondly as she fingered the end of her braid.

"I kind of like it…"

Owari

Blue: Well, that's that. I hope you enjoyed it… I have no idea where it came from, and it's probably a rushed. It's not my fault! My muse is an evil Teddy Bear named Scorpion, so don't judge me! Anyway… R/R, and tell me what you think!