A/N- I'm hope you're all hanging in there with me guys! And enjoy the story!
Disclaimer- I don't own InuYasha and never did, but I do love the characters!
'Thoughts'
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Chapter 6
Passing the Time
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Two months had passed before Kagome felt like she was ready to make the journey to find her father. But the months didn't go idly by, Kagome had found out about a whole new side to InuYasha during her training with Kaede.
His gentle submissive side.
Kagome had decided to have one last training session before they set off to find her father. They being herself, InuYasha and Kouga. The ookami had refused to leave since the day he had shown up, Kagome was fine with it, as long as he didn't try to start anything with InuYasha.
Sweating heavily, Kagome set down her bow and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. "Man...I never knew training could be so tiring. InuYasha, how are you doing?"
Glancing behind her, Kagome smiled when she was greeted by a gentle smile from the also sweating Hanyou. Sliding the Tetsusaiga into her sheath, InuYasha walked over to Kagome, picking up her bow and arrows.
"Ready for a break Kagome?"
Kagome nodded her head as she grabbed InuYasha's hand and drug him with her back towards the village. This was a routine that Kagome had started after her first day of being back and it had stuck ever since. At her side the trees shifted and Kouga appeared, a huge smile on his face.
"Hey Kagome..."
Kagome nodded her head, she paused for a moment when she felt InuYasha squeeze her hand gently. Glancing over her shoulder she saw that InuYasha was staring out into the trees, showing no intention to fight or interfere what so ever.
Smiling, Kagome squeezed back and started on her way again. "We had best eat while we can guys, we might not have a chance to starting tomorrow."
Kouga nodded his head as he continued to eye InuYasha warily, he didn't like how submissive and obedient the mutt was being lately. 'Better not be some ploy to win Kagome over, if it is I swear I'll neuter him!'
Kagome heard a low growl coming from Kouga as they neared the village, curious she followed his eyes and giggled silently when she saw that InuYasha was the source of his anger. ‘Seems that old habits die hard, even for demons.’ Looking foreword, Kagome smiled when she saw Kaede coming out of her hut to greet them.
"I see ye have finished ye training for the day, will ye be heading out to find ye father Kagome?"
"That's the plan, do you need help with dinner Kaede?"
Kaede simply nodded her head and started back towards the hut. Kagome turned to InuYasha and he smiled, "I'll get the wood." Releasing Kagome's hand, InuYasha bounded off into the trees leaving Kagome and Kouga to stand in the clearing.
Kouga smirked as he watched InuYasha disappear into the distance, 'finally, now's my chance to get Kagome.' "Kagome...will you..." Kouga froze in distaste at what greeted his eyes, it was that old woman from before, the one called Kaede.
"Lady Kagome has gone inside," Kaede then turned and walked off towards another hut. Kouga was so traumatized at what he just about did that he just stood there for several moments and he failed to notice InuYasha returning, thus leaping past him and walking inside the hut before him.
InuYasha simply shook his head and chuckled to himself, he had seen the whole occurrence as he was returning, ‘serves him right for trying to take Kagome away from me.’
Upon entering the hut, InuYasha smiled to himself when Kagome turned from chopping vegetables and sent him a gentle, caring smile. ‘I wish we could just stay like this, just me and Kagome…but since we have to find her father that will be unlikely and with that flee-bitten mongrel here…it’s practically impossible to get closer to her.’
Kagome must have noticed the expression on his face because he felt her hand rest upon his shoulder and squeeze reassuringly. “InuYasha…are you alright, is there something on your mind?”
Shaking himself, InuYasha flashed her a weak smile before pulling away and setting the wood down near one side of the hut. “It’s nothing…so…are we going to set out after we are done eating?”
‘I wonder what is bothering him…but if he doesn’t wish to talk about it…’ “yep! So you better eat fast, I won’t be having you trailing behind and complaining from hunger pains. You hear me?” Pointing the small dagger she had at him in a fake-threatening manner, Kagome tried to stifle her laughter at the completely adorable look that was now on InuYasha’s face. ‘He’s so cute when he’s like that!’
His ears were lowered back slightly and his lips were trembling lightly as he eyed her warily. “I’m joking you moron! Can’t take a joke can you?” chuckling uncontrollably, Kagome shook her head and returned to chopping the vegetables for the soup she was preparing.
InuYasha smiled gently once her back was to him again, it didn’t matter the occasion, but everytime she laughed InuYasha found himself more content than he had ever been.
‘I swear that whatever it takes I will make sure she can always smile and laugh like this. It truly is a sign at how she is so pure hearted, I just hope that nothing happens to change that.’
Glancing quickly about the inside of the hut and finding that Kagome was the only other occupant besides himself, InuYasha seated himself in a corner directly across from Kagome.
Lifting one of his hands, InuYasha slowly ran his fingers over Kagome’s distant form with great care, as if he was caressing every curve and every aspect of her body for real.
Sencing someone at the door, InuYasha drew his hand back quickly and drew his legs up to where his knees touched his chest, pretending to be resting.
Almost immediately Kouga strolled inside and made his way over to where Kagome was now stirring their dinner. Gritting his teeth to hold his instinctive growl at bay, InuYasha watched with much chagrin as Kouga sat really close to Kagome’s side.
“Need any help Kagome?” turning her head, Kagome would have almost smacked her head against Kouga’s if she didn’t pull back when she did.
“No, thanks anyway…just go sit by InuYasha and I’ll bring your serving over to you, alright?”
Unable to resist such a kind request from Kagome, Kouga could only nod his head as he went over and sat near the mutt as requested.
Kagome cheered silently to herself as she watched Kouga move away, ‘thank god, man…I don’t think I can stand having him around anymore. He’s always right there, in my face or in my way. Hasn’t he heard of being too friendly?’
Dipping a finger into the soup, Kagome tested its flavor and smiled at its taste, “perfect! Just the way he likes it…” ‘damn…did I just say that out loud? Please tell me that they didn’t hear that.’
When there was no movement behind her, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. Picking up one of the small bowls at her side, she ladled in a fair amount before getting up and walking over to Kouga.
“Here you go, eat up. I’ll have yours in a second InuYasha.”
Moving back to the pot of steaming soup, Kagome portioned out InuYasha and herself a serving. Carrying the two bowls, Kagome knelt down next to InuYasha’s side, placing him between her and Kouga. Thankfully the Ookami was too busy stuffing his face to notice this.
Situating herself as close as she dared, Kagome handed InuYasha his serving and started digging into her own, letting her eyes drift to InuYasha every once in a while. InuYasha was trying to keep a blush from flaming across his cheeks as he silently ate Kagome’s soup, but he found it rather difficult, especially with her leg touching his.
‘Stay calm…stay calm. Just eat…don’t think about how soft her leg feels or how cute she looks stealing glances at you every few moments. Damn! This is so awkward…uh…what am I supposed to do?’
Shifting slightly closer, InuYasha turned to look at Kagome to comment on her cooking when her eyes met his.
Taking a deep breath, InuYasha cleared his throat, “uh…very good soup Kagome…”
“Thanks InuYasha, I made it special since we’re leaving today…do you really like it?” Kagome set her empty bowl at her side as she eagerly awaited InuYasha’s reply.
It never came, just as InuYasha opened his mouth to answer her a loud shattering sound rang throughout the entire hut. Gripping the hilt to the Tetsusaiga, InuYasha moved in front of Kagome as he glanced about the hut.
What he saw was Kouga sucking on one of his fingers and standing over the shattered remains of one of Kagome’s bowls. Clenching his fist, InuYasha watched as Kagome got up and hurried over to Kouga’s side. After helping him to sit down, she silently took his hand and bound the cut.
“There, now next time be more careful Kouga.” Sighing deeply, Kagome gathered their empty bowls and the shattered pieces, she then walked outside to do her normal routine of washing them.
InuYasha waited and watched as Kouga settled down in one corner and started to nap. Once sure that Kouga wouldn’t follow him, InuYasha moved silently out of the hut and followed Kagome’s scent down to the river. Leaping up into the trees, InuYasha jumped from one to another, as he neared the river he could hear a soft voice on the air.
He had heard Kagome sing before, to Shippo, but for some reason her voice sounded much more real and rather calming now than it did then. Reaching the edge of the river, InuYasha crouched in the tree as he watched Kagome gently scrub the bowls in the water while her voice filled the immediate area.
The song seemed to be another of the one’s from her time, because he didn’t recall hearing the words before. It seemed like she was sad or speaking from a deep place in her heart because of the words and the way they sounded, so InuYasha just listened.
“…to the earth I fell with dripping wings, heavy things won’t fly. And the sky might catch on fire and burn the axis of the world, that’s why I prefer a sunless sky to the glittering and stinging in my eyes.”
Kagome placed one of the bowls next to her knees as she started on the next one.
“And I feel so alive, this is all I wanna feel tonight. And I feel so alive, tonight and the rest of my life.”
Sitting back on her heels, Kagome rubbed her forehead as she tilted her face back and splashed it with a handful of water. InuYasha felt the breath leave his body as Kagome smiled brilliantly, yet sadly while staring at the sky.
He was about to jump down to talk to her when she started singing again, not wanting to miss out on such a rare opportunity, he remained as still as possible.
“Gleaming in the dark sea, I’m as light as air floating there breathlessly. When the dream dissolves I open up my eyes, I realize, that everything is shoreless sea. Weightlessness is passing over me.”
Leaning down again, Kagome rinsed the second bowl off and placed it with the other.
“And I feel so alive, this is all I wanna feel tonight. And I feel so alive, tonight and the rest of my life. Tonight and the rest of my life.”
Unable to remain only as an observer, InuYasha landed soundlessly behind Kagome as he crouched and listened to her finish her song.
“Everything is waves and stars, the universe is resting in my arms.”
Standing, Kagome pulled the tie out of her hair and ran her fingers through it.
“I feel, so alive, this is all I wanna feel tonight. I feel so alive, tonight and the rest of my life.”
Leaning over, Kagome picked up the now two clean bowls and sighed deeply, “And I feel so alive, this all I wanna feel tonight. And I feel so alive, tonight and the rest of my life. Tonight and the rest of my life…” she trailed off when she turned around and saw InuYasha crouching there looking at her.
Nearly dropping the bowls, Kagome cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound steady.
“Wha…what are you doing here InuYasha, I…I thought that you stayed in…the…the hut with Kouga.”
InuYasha stood and approached Kagome, his expression completely serious, “you have a beautiful voice Kagome…what was the name of that song you were singing?”
Kagome felt her face flush red as a tomato, ‘he…he was listening to me sing…he thinks my voice is beautiful…how sweet.’
“It’s…uh…from an American television show my mother was fascinated with when I was younger. I think it was called ‘Dark Angel’, that was the theme song I was singing.”
“I see…so…are you ready to head out in search of your father now?”
InuYasha made a mental note to remember that song and where it was from, he had every intention of hearing it again.
“Yeah…I just need to return these to Kaede’s house and then we can be on our way.”
InuYasha nodded his head and held out his hand, Kagome took it without a second thought and they started back towards the village.
