Kagome awoke at dawn, feeling surprisingly refreshed. Sometime in the night, the fire had gone out, but she and Shippou were still comfortably warm, snuggled against Entei’s toasty flank.
Yawning, she sat up and stretched, Shippou doing the same, one tiny clawed fist rubbing across his eyes.
“What’s for breakfast?” he asked Kagome groggily, tugging on her sleeve.
“Hm, jerky, I guess,” she said, handing him a strip from her backpack. “I’m running a little low on supplies at the moment.”
“You should ask Sango-chan for some stuff,” the fox-kit suggested, his small sharp fangs ripping off a chunk of the tough meat with relish. “She’s got food for days.”
Kagome glanced away. “Yeah, maybe…”
Shippou frowned. “She’s still mad at you, huh?”
The young miko sighed. “I don’t think she’s mad, exactly. Just…disappointed.”
“Well, we were all sad and hurt when you left. But now you’re back,” the fox-kit stated matter-of-factly, “and that’s what matters.”
Kagome smiled slightly. She wanted more than anything to believe that what he said was true. But she knew it would take time for her to rebuild the trust she had broken.
As they finished breakfast, Kagome gathered up her soaps and shampoos and set off with Shippou for the bathhouse–despite his continued protests. Why kids–demon and human–seemed to hate bathtime so much would never cease to amaze her. Personally, she liked starting off the day with a clean slate, so to speak.
“I’m just going to get dirty again,” he grumbled, trudging up the steps behind her.
“Yeah, but would you rather be dirty, or super dirty? Anyway…I’m sure Rin-chan would appreciate it if you smelled nice,” Kagome ventured, glancing back at him over her shoulder.
Shippou blushed, ducking his head with a defeated sigh. “Fiiiine.”
The moment he and Kagome entered the bathhouse, she discovered that they were not alone. Reclining against the far edge, sling held aloft above the steamy surface, Miroku greeted them with a wave, the dark water thankfully obscuring him below the chest.
“Ah, Kagome-sama,” he murmured, violet eyes glittering suggestively. “Welcome.”
Shippou and Kagome exchanged a look. Promptly reversing, they let the door shut behind them with a decisive thwack. Shaking her head, she descended the steps with the fox-kit in tow. So much for that. Miroku’s right arm might be injured, but one good groping hand was more than enough for a lecher like him.
“You know,” Kagome began, tapping a finger to her chin, “I think there might be an onsen not too far away…”
“Yeah,” Shippou nodded, nose wrinkling as he sniffed himself discreetly. “Let’s go.”
Following his lead, they headed south. A little ways into the forest, the distinctive sight of curling steam came into view.
“Hurray!” the two of them exclaimed, sprinting toward it.
Practically tearing off his clothes, the fox-kit cannonballed into the bubbling spring. Laughing, Kagome disrobed with a little more restraint, sinking into the hot water with a sigh. After washing her hair and skin, and eventually persuading Shippou to do the same, she leaned back against the granite ledge, smiling as she watched him splash around.
She felt a prickle of unease not having her bow with her, but they were close to the village, and in her current condition, she didn’t see what good it would do to have it on her anyway. With his fox-fire and prior battle experience, Shippou was more than capable of defending them against ordinary demons–and typically, the really nasty ones only came out at night.
As her muscles relaxed into putty, Shippou floated over. Settling into her embrace, he started to doze off, Kagome’s eyes drifting shut as well before the sound of a faint pop in front of her had them blinking open again.
A pair of bulbous demonic eyes stared into her own.
“KYAAAAAAAH!” the young miko screamed as she bolted upright, her hand connecting solidly with the whiskered face looming before her.
“Eh?” The elderly demon winced, rubbing his wrinkled jowl. “Kagome, was it?”
“Ah,” she said sheepishly, lowering her stinging palm. “Toutousai.” A moment later, her hand rose again, smacking the side of her neck. A tiny flattened form fluttered down into the spring. “And Myouga-jii, too.”
“Hey!” Shippou shouted, flaring angrily at Kagome’s side. “What the hell were you two thinking, surprising us like that?! You shameless, hentai geezers!”
“Calm yourself, Master Shippou,” Myouga chuckled nervously as he edged out of the line of fire, crouching behind Kagome’s shoulder. “We meant you no harm…”
“Hm, but where is Sesshoumaru?” Toutousai remarked, scratching his ear as he leaned back atop his three-eyed cow, folding his arms into his striped sleeves. “I don’t detect his youki, but Mo-Mo’s sense of direction is never wrong.”
“Eh?” Kagome squeaked, her whole face reddening as the cow lowed in affirmation. “Sesshoumaru is–”
Jumping up from the spring, she had just enough time to wrench her folded towel around her before the daiyoukai strode into the clearing, his golden eyes skimming over her for a moment before resting on the demon smith.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Mhhmm, I am pretty sure Sesshomaru was there the WHOLE time haha…
Hahaha 😉