Deliverance

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It had been an incredible, long journey to get where she was. She'd been betrayed, reincarnated, revived, nearly killed again, and saved by the most unlikely of saviors - the one she was most reluctant to be in debt to. Despite everything, or maybe because of it, she was jaded, but more than anything she was just tired. She was ready for her task to be complete, for her duty to the Shikon no Tama to be finished, for better or worse.

She had learned many things too after becoming the living dead. For one, she watched as Inuyasha ever so slowly emerged from his shell under the gentle hand of her incarnation.

It made no sense. The girl was green and inexperienced; by all rights she should have been killed many times over already. Yet somehow she managed to make it in a violent world that Kikyou had needed to train so hard to survive in. Not only that but she did it all with a kind of joy that brought peace to those around her.

She would only be lying to herself if she denied the bitterness and envy such knowledge stirred in her.

Still, she thought, if her embroiled soul could be changed through the years to be so different in her reincarnation, maybe there was redemption after all.

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A/N: 'Green' drabble prompt for the LJ community Issekiwa. 222 words.

Ordinary isn't so Bad

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Kagome was by nature an optimist but everyone had their down days – and today was one for her.

She’d failed her last test and was starting to feel like she wasn’t terribly good at anything. Granted, she could blame her rotten grades on traipsing around the Feudal Era but truth was she’d never been good at school even before getting dragged down the well.

Her miko abilities weren’t exactly top notch either. She certainly helped out but she didn’t think she’d ever see the day when the others ran to her for protection. At least she had Shippo – until he grew just a bit older and discovered more of his innate power.

Then there were her looks – she wasn’t ugly but neither was she a raving beauty.

Fact was she was just…ordinary; and, she slid a glance Inuyasha’s way, no one wanted ordinary.

Her thoughts were cut off by Inuyasha’s sharp, irritated yell. “What the hell d’ya do to the ramen, wench?!” He was rapidly rubbing off his tongue, confusing her to no end.

“What are you talking about?”

He cut his glare short as he spotted her half-full canteen. “My ramen burned,” he groused, “like that cure-ee stuff.”

“Oh, well, I thought variety would be nice so I bought some other flavors…”

He’d already turned away to finish off the water. “Keh, stupid. I like my ramen; plain ramen is the best.”

Smiling softly at his back she thought that maybe ordinary could have its own appeal after all.

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A/N: 'Plain' drabble prompt in the LJ community Issekiwa. 250 words.

And the Winner is...

~ ~ ~

The rest of the group hadn't seen what sparked the argument but it didn't matter as they always ended the same way. Miroku amusedly watched the bickering not-quite-couple, wondering just how accurately he could predict the inevitable downfall. Showing a bit less amusement and more apprehension Sango leaned over and whispered, "I think it's just about time, don't you?"

Miroku gazed at them, calculated. "No, we've got another couple minutes still."

Sango cut him a skeptical glance. "But look at her. Her face is red enough she might go apoplectic from all that yelling. I'd say she's at her limit."

"Ah, but she's been trying to be more peaceable lately, let's not forget that."

Suddenly the tone of the fight changed and the onlookers grew silent in anticipation. Kagome opened her mouth wide but before she could utter that damning word Inuyasha interjected himself. "Oh sure, go ahead," he said snidely. "Use the spell - you know have to cheat because otherwise there's no way you'd win a fight."

Her mouth opened and closed, as if warring with herself whether to prove him wrong or just go ahead and smash him to the ground solely for the spite of it. In the end she flounced away in a huff, leaving everyone stunned in her wake.

"D-did Inuyasha just win that argument?" Sango stuttered. "Using words?"

It was the upset of the year, no, the next half-millennia, mused Miroku, a bemused smile on his lips. "Why yes, I believe he did."

~ ~ ~

A/N: 'Upset' drabble prompt for the LJ community Issekiwa. 250 words.

Warning: Spoiler for end of manga

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Growing Pains

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When Kagome woke from the nightmare of being inside the jewel to find herself in her own era she didn't hesitate to rush back to the wellhouse - only to pause with her foot on the portal. Something hitched inside of her and she knew if she went back then that would be the end of things.

She couldn't bring herself to do it.

Despite everything she had done, regardless of everything she'd faced and accomplished on the other side, she still viewed herself as a child. She needed her mom, she needed her school friends, and she needed to finish becoming an adult. Maybe it was cowardice or simply regret for when she'd have to leave her family behind, but she knew she had to stay.

Still, it wasn't easy, never easy, because every time she saw a boy with red hair she was forcefully reminded of Shippo. She saw Sango in every woman who wore a green apron and the clatter of metal always brought remembrances of Miroku walking beside her. The hardest was that every time she stepped foot in her back yard or looked out her window or saw a vendor selling ramen her heart clenched with images of Inuyasha.

She knew one day she'd be ready, just as all kids grow up and leave their parents' home. She knew that one day she'd be able to leave everything and everyone behind for him - but she wasn’t done growing up just yet.

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A/N: 'Force' drabble prompt for LJ community Iyissekiwa. 247 words.

Everything its Price

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The Inu-youkai council had grown stifling, over-reaching in their demands, and there was only so much he could put up with. He was the Inu no Taisho, the most powerful among them and their proffered leader, and he chafed under their constant gaze.

So he did something to flaunt his authority, to show that he could do as he pleased and they truly had no say. For those ends he chose that which they found most distasteful: consorting with a human woman.

And if he happened to grow to care deeply for the woman…well that was of no consequence. He could always ignore his instincts and pretend it didn’t matter in the least to him.

Then he learned of his son and everything in him changed. He was clenched with a painful regret, knowing the hateful, spiteful world his son would be forced to face – because of him.

The council, while willing to look the other way at his frivolities, wouldn’t stand for a hanyou in the bloodlines and incited a riot among the humans. Inu no Taisho had known he was mortally wounded when he rushed to them but he was set to give his life to save his son’s.

He left for him the only legacy he could and felt relief at least in the fact that his bastard would grow up strong. He knew his son would prove his worth in the end.

Then the council would know all their efforts had been for naught. Both he and his progeny would be forever beyond their reach.

~ ~ ~

A/N: 'Rebel' drabble prompt for the LJ community Iyissekiwa. 250 words.

One-upsmanship

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Kagome and Inuyasha watched on, with amusement and irritation respectively, as Shippou flirted with the pretty girl in the village they’d stopped in. It was a source of fun to the entire group that he found a new love in each new place – though they all fervently hoped he wouldn’t grow up to follow in Miroku’s perverted footsteps.

When her stomach growled loud enough that even Shippou turned and made a face at her Kagome decided it was time for lunch. Standing, she brushed off her skirt, then went to look for Miroku and Sango.

Inuyasha crossed his arms with a silent ‘hmpf’ as he watched Kagome walking away. Turning, he scowled down at the riverside in time to see Shippou waving to the girl before making his way over to him.

“Certainly are friendly, aren’t ya?” he snapped, derision thick in his tone.

Shippou stuck his tongue out at him. “We can’t all be as anti-social as you.” Sitting down next to him he followed Inuyasha’s gaze to Kagome’s retreating back. “I could help you out, you know, give you some pointers…” he offered suddenly.

“Keh.” Inuyasha kept his eyes averted though he couldn’t hide the subtle blush that stole across his cheeks.

Suddenly making a decision– after all, he couldn’t let himself be beat out by some snotty little kid – he took his courage in his hands and loped after Kagome to see if he could help her out.

~ ~ ~

'Shy' drabble prompt. 241 words.

Autumn - They All Fall Sometime

It was just getting cool enough where they didn’t stick to their own clothes during the day and could huddle around a comfortable fire in the evenings. Her favorite part though was the leaves. The Goshinboku for one never turned, though she had the sneaking suspicion it was because the tree was somehow more alive than was normal for a tree. The rest of the forest around the well seemed to follow along the same thread. However now they were traveling closer to the mountains and she reveled in the golds and reds of the surrounded flora.

As they broke for lunch Kagome had an idea. To save on time she made everyone some ramen and while they ate she gathered up the largest pile of leaves she could manage, well aware of the multiple pairs of curious eyes following her movements. Shippou, of course, was the first to bound over to her side.

“Whatchya doing Kagome?”

She smirked down at him. “Having some fun.”

“You have fun collecting leaves?” he asked skeptically.

Chuckling, she answered, “No, I have fun doing…this!” And with the last word she ran the two steps to the pile, held out her arms, jumped in the air, and landed with an audible ‘whoosh’, the leaves scattering in all directions.

Shippou was in awe. “Can I try? Can I try?” he shouted, bouncing up and down in his enthusiasm.

“Of course.”

By the end of the afternoon they’d managed to create the largest pile she’d ever seen and she’d gotten both Miroku and Sango to join in. It had taken quite a bit of coaxing with Sango though. Not only did it sometimes seem like she’d forgotten how to have fun, like she’d lost whatever child-like qualities she’d had with Naraku’s destruction of her family, but she also had Miroku’s hands to contend with. He kept trying to maneuver them into the pile at the same time, where the leaves would obligingly provide cover for his ‘bumbling’.

The only one who didn’t get involved was, unsurprisingly, Inuyasha. He watched their antics from beneath the shade of a tree, arms folded, as he grumbled about their acting stupid and wasting time.

Kagome didn’t miss, however, how his eyes occasionally seemed to light with curiosity, and maybe even…longing?

By the time they were done it was near dark and everyone was too tired to travel further so they settled down for the night. Much giggling and chatting later, ignored by the sullen hanyou, they all fell asleep with much better dreams than they’d had in weeks.

She woke sometime later, unsure what had pulled her from sleep, but she turned to look for the reassuring form of Inuyasha lurking in the trees. When she couldn’t spy him she got curious and decided to see if she could find him.

She wandered slowly, soaking in the soothing breeze, rubbing her hands over her arms to keep away the slight chill of the night, so she was surprised when she came upon it. She had thought the pile of leaves they’d made earlier had been the largest ever but the one she saw now far outmatched it. Hearing a slight rustling she startled, wondering if it was just the wind or an animal, and crept her way around the pile. She was stealthy only to keep from disturbing the night; she had no fear that something might be so near camp when Inuyasha was protecting them, not when she couldn’t sense anything either.

Circling around twice just to be sure she was alone she took one last furtive look over her shoulder, bounded up to a quick sprint, and launched herself into the leaves.

She landed on something warm.

With a yelp she tried to roll away but whatever it was held her tight and only rolled with her – on top of her. There was just enough of a hole in the leaves where she’d landed for the moonlight to silhouette the figure.

“Inuyasha?” she gasped, reaching up to run the fingers of one hand through his hair, the moonlight making the silver near glow while casting the rest of his face in deep shadow. “What were you…?”

He cast his eyes away, suddenly not looking at her, and she didn’t have to ask anymore. He had wanted to join them earlier but hadn’t, either for pride or awkwardness or not knowing how or any other assortment of reasons. Instead he’d come out here, in the middle of the night, to try it by himself, away from prying eyes.

Before he could think what she was doing she rolled them back over into the cover of the leaves. There was so little light she had to lean close to see his face, though she was glad that meant the redness in her own face was covered, and whispered, “I bet I can jump in and make the leaves spread farther out than you can.” There was nothing like prodding his competitive side to get him going.

His eyes narrowed briefly and then she found herself laying on the cold ground as he raced off to pile the foliage even higher than before. She barely had time to get out of the way before he launched himself. “Watch this, wench!”

He belly-flopped into the leaves, scattering them beyond the trunks of the closest trees. She tried to look suitably unimpressed, though it was hard. “I bet I can do better.”

With that their competition began in earnest and they rarely waited for the other to get out before jumping in. There was much more touching than either was used to and as their contact increased so did their lingering in the leaves before getting out to jump again.

Kagome pretended to be winded long before she had leave to just so she had an excuse to continue to lay where she’d landed, half sprawled across Inuyasha – especially when he was giving her the courtesy of neither complaining nor freezing up. When she felt his sigh she took that as her cue and pulled the leaves more closely over them to act as a blanket as they stared up at the sky, taking the opportunity to snuggle just a little bit closer to him. If he noticed then he didn’t mind.

After a few moments she glanced up at him to see he was looking at her, a strange glint in his eyes that she couldn’t be sure was from the ambience of the moonlight. Without warning he suddenly swooped down and kissed her, pulling back after a mere brush of the lips. Even the lack of light couldn’t hide the brilliance of his blush though so he quickly blustered to cover up. “Maybe there is something to all this leaf jumping stuff after all. Either that or you’re just stupid.”

She wasn’t fooled for a second and just smiled up at him. “See, I told you it’d be fun.”

He huffed and looked up at the sky, then quickly back to her, eyes narrowing. “You’re never playing in the leaves with Miroku again.”

She laughed softly, holding him close for as long as he’d allow. “Only you, Inuyasha, only you.”

~ ~ ~

Word count 1,261. Obviously I like the long version better but if you're curious the 594 word version is posted on my deviantart account. flametwirler.deviantart.com/art/They-all-fall-sometime-100491693

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“Eeep!” Kagome let loose a horrified squeal as the youkai went down. “Inuyasha, it’s gross! Kill it!”

He gaped at her in disbelief. “I just did, wench!”

“Oh.” Dampened for a moment she determined not to let it get her down and tried again. “Ew, it’s gross,” she said, sidling up to him and turning her head into his shoulder. “I don’t want to look at it.”

Inuyasha just looked at her like she’d sprouted a third head. “What the hell you talking about? You used to stick your hands inside dead youkai to pull out Shikon shards and now you’re having trouble looking at one?”

She pulled back just far enough to glare at him. “C’mon, the least you could do is play along.”

He looked stumped, muttering smartly, “Huh?”

With a long-suffering sigh she explained, “It’s October 31st, silly. Halloween? We don’t have any haunted houses but I figured a youkai battle is much more realistic anyhow.” Heavens knew he’d watched enough horror flicks with Souta but his blank stare had her giving up hope that he’d picked up the other nuances of the holiday while in her time.

“This is the part where the girl gets scared and clings to the guy, begging for protection from the big, scary monsters.”

He perked at that. “Really, begging? I think I could go along with that.”

One brow lifted archly and he stifled a snicker, aiming for the seriousness she was giving to this endeavor. “Well, let’s try again then, shall we?” she asked.

At his nod she backed up slightly and stared at the eviscerated youkai at their feet, clutching her stomach and looking a little queasy. “Eep!” she squeaked again as she edged toward him, latching onto his arm with a fervent intensity when she finally bumped into him. “Save me from the gross, evil thingy.”

He had to work hard to hold in a chortle at Kagome’s horrible acting but he’d learned that laughing at her didn’t put her in the best mood and even he could see the possibility for this to turn into something good.

“Don’t worry,” he said, shifting his body so he stood between her and the youkai, draping himself protectively around her, taking up her entire field of vision. “I’ll protect you from the evil, dead, ‘thingy’.”

He couldn’t fight a growing smirk but then neither, it seemed, could she. “But it’s so horrible, I don’t think I’ll ever get the image out of my mind. You’ll have to do something to help me forget.”

“Oh, I bet I could think of something.”

When he moved to close the distance between them she held up a hand to his chest. “You couldn’t possibly be thinking of doing anything here, could you?”

“I dunno…could get you squeamish all over again and then we could have a repeat…”

She batted him playfully and he swept her up, enjoying the sound of her laughter as he carried her away.

~ ~ ~

Words: 495
Theme: Squeamish

Written for knittingknots.

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Sick Day

Sango eyed her husband worriedly as she knelt before the futon he was currently curled up on. When Miroku made no move to acknowledge her she laid the cool wet cloth against his forehead.

“Here. Kagome said wiping you down with cool water should help,” she said, carefully eyeing him in his lethargic state.

“Why’s that?” he probed. She was acting wary, cautious, and as always he was curious to find what could cause her to retreat.

“Kagome said it’s better you not lay in your own sweat too long and that cooling you down would help as well.”

“Normally I thought you liked to do things that helped me get all sweaty.” He grinned when she blushed. “This is quite the turnaround.”

“Just be quiet,” she huffed, snatching the cloth from his face, rewetting it in the bowl of cool water, and running it across his neck. When she had to part his clothing to get to his chest she averted her eyes and Miroku chuckled at her antics.

“What’s the matter, Sango? I’m your husband. There’s nothing here you haven’t seen before.”

She shot a quick glance toward the door. “It’s the middle of the day.”

He eyed the heavy mat covering the door, blocking the sunlight to the point they’d needed to light their cooking fire for light. He raised his eyebrow at her, as if to prove his point, but she refused to notice. “Last I checked I’m still your husband the middle of the day.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she scoffed, but he could see some of the worry had leaked out of her eyes. He’d been sick for over a week, with everything from light fevers to coughing, and he hated to admit but even he’d been worried for a bit, if only because of the pain he could see on Sango’s face.

Kagome and Inuyasha had taken the kids and Kagome had come to check on him several times, giving Sango advice and directions about what to do, but to both their great relief she had never pulled out any of her future medicine. Since she had no access to get any more she saved it for only the direst of circumstances. That she hadn’t given him any spoke loudly about how much faith she had that he’d pull through just fine and that this sickness would pass soon enough.

Now it seemed like Sango was finally beginning to believe that as well and he couldn’t be more relieved.

“I need to get to your arms and your back. Can you get out of that on your own?”

The light clothing he’d been wearing was already partially undone and merely hung on his shoulders. All he’d need to do was sit up slightly and shrug out of it. Honestly he wouldn’t have much trouble with it, and he did hate to appear weak – especially in front of Sango, but he also hated to be separated from his wife – especially when he was only partially dressed.

So instead he made a show of struggling to prop himself up, panting lightly when he made it to his elbows. “I think you’re going to have to help me.”

Sango had no trouble recognizing the mischief in his eyes, knew he was playing with her, but she was so grateful he was coming back to himself that she didn’t argue. Instead she decided that if he had the energy to play with her then he wouldn’t mind if she played back.

Leaning over him she let her hair brush across his bare chest as she worked the cloth off his far arm, quickly pulling back just as he reached for her. He looked at her with suspicion but she affected a look of innocence, as if she hadn’t even noticed his movement. They repeated the dance again and again as she worked the cloth from his other arm or reached around him to wash his back.

When he finally gave a sigh of exasperation Sango laughed lightly and he knew he’d been had. She brushed his hair from his face tenderly even as she teased him, “Poor baby, you just have such rotten luck don’t you.”

She wasn’t expecting the movement, though she should have known better than to think he’d given into defeat, so he easily caught her wrist. “Not at all. I got you to marry me, didn’t I?”

“That’s only because I beat you into submission,” she ribbed, even as she graced him with a large, watery smile that stretched across her face.

He pulled on her hand. “Come to bed with me.”

Her voice turned stern. “Miroku, you know you can’t-”

“I know, I know. Even I’m aware I’d do a poor job of it right now.”

He grinned widely and she sighed. They both knew if she hadn’t said anything he very well may have tried it.

“Just lie down with me,” he urged. “I miss the feel of you.”

He always knew just what to say and with a quick shake of her head and a small, exasperated smile and she gave in. She crawled into the futon behind him, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled the blanket over him. Just because he was finally starting to make a recovery didn’t mean he was out of danger yet and despite their banter she still worried. She pressed the palm of her hand firmly over his heart, just to reassure herself with the feel of it, and when he noticed he pulled her hand up, kissing the palm.

“I’m not going anywhere, Sango. I’d never willingly leave you.”

“You better not, because if you did I might just have to follow you and hunt you down.”

He chuckled lightly and the feel of it was so normal, so vibrant against her body that she felt something coiled tight inside her slowly loosen. He was laughing at her but she didn’t mind, as it meant he was coming back to her.

“I know you would,” he said, a smile in his voice, “and I’m glad of it.”

~ ~ ~

Word count: 1014

Zero to Hero
Written for Forthright’s Halloween 'drabble' challenge. (I use the term loosely because I quite cheated.) Prompt: Monster

When Kagome begged off time to go home for a test he was immediately suspicious since she insisted he accompany her. Still, he was a sucker for her pout. So he wasn’t too surprised when she dashed her studying plans and declared they were going out but that didn’t prevent him from throwing a fit.

“Party? What the hell for?”

She gave him a censoring look. “It’s Halloween – tonight’s all about costume and disguise so it’ll be perfect for you to walk around without a hat or bandana. You’re supposed to dress up so nobody will think anything of it!”

He had to admit that did have its perks. He did hate having his ears squashed down and his hearing dampened.

“Besides, I’ve been gathering my costume for ages so there’s no way I’m not going to use it.”

Ah, that at least finally explained why she kept sneaking off in the different villages they traveled to. Before he could ask what her costume was – being as he’d had no interest in her shopping earlier – she pushed him out of her room.

Inuyasha nearly swallowed his tongue when she shuffled down the stairs in her many layers of clothing. She’d obviously been going for a feudal era hime but she’d gotten the stylization a bit off on some points and looked almost vaguely courtesan, not that he’d say a word about it. She looked better than he’d ever seen her and his heart clenched painfully at the image of her living in his time, dressing the part every day. Dismissing the idea quickly he scoffed as she approached him.

She beamed at him, spinning. “Isn’t it great? I’m so going to win best costume at the party tonight.” She tripped but righted herself easily enough, his chuckle making her hopeful he might enjoy the evening as well.

“Now,” she said, turning to look at him. “Hm, so what are we going to say you’re going as…” she mused, more to herself than him. “People will ask what your costume is and I think saying you’re a hanyou will just confuse most of them.”

“How about a monster…” he mumbled. He’d been called that often enough in his life to know it was an apt enough description.

“Inuyasha,” she said, her expression dimming, “I don’t think that’s-”

He cut her off before she could go any further. “That’s what I say or I don’t go.” She wanted to object but he knew he wouldn’t listen to anything she said. A lifetime of programming would take more than a few words to undo. Besides, she recognized that stubborn gaze and gathered if she pushed the subject he’d blow up and make good on his threat to boycott the evening and head back through the well, and she still thought the fun would do him some good.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Let’s go.”

They made their way to the party easily and arrived to enough squealing that the audio assault made him wish he did have something to cover his ears. They arrived to the party late, just as Kagome planned, since she knew he wouldn’t like being in a confined area with so many humans for too long, but she had to be there for the contest. Within only a couple minutes Yuka swooped down on them, cooing with wonder over Kagome’s outfit. When she heard what Inuyasha called his costume though she sniffed at him with a derisive ‘hn’ just before sweeping off.

Only another moment passed before Yuka was up front making the announcements. Kagome held her breath as they went through what she considered the superfluous awards until they came to it: “Best Overall Costume.” She was stunned when they called over Houjo, in his knock-off Godzilla costume. It didn’t even look authentic! How could they pass up her genuine feudal era clothing for that!

In a huff she spun away. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

As they made it to the door they heard one last comment. “And now for this year’s Worst Costume award. The winner is…Inuyasha!”

The two turned back, both stunned, as Yuka rushed her way toward them. She thrust a small bag of candy at him as Kagome gaped. “What do you mean, worst dressed?”

“Oh, come on, Kagome. We all know monsters are supposed to be mean and scary.” Inuyasha stiffened next to her.

“Not to mention ugly!” Ayumi supplied helpfully from over her shoulder. Yuka nodded in agreement.

“Wait, wait, wait, let me get this right. You don’t think Inuyasha is scary, mean, or…ugly…so he couldn’t possibly be a monster?”

“Exactly!” Yuka intoned. “Besides, just look at those ears. Couldn’t you try for something at least a bit more realistic looking?” She pointed to her own cat-ears in demonstration and Kagome had to choke down on a chortle.

Inuyasha was looking disgruntled – well, even more so than normal – so she began to pull him from the room. “We gotta be going – thanks for the award though!”

She grabbed his hand and ran down the street, Inuyasha right along with her, and by the time they stopped she was panting and giggling. “See, I told you you’re not a monster!” She pointed her finger in his face with savage satisfaction. “Now you have proof – you’re too handsome.” A mischievous smile lit her face as he blushed.

“If I ain’t a monster then what am I?”

It sobered her to realize he was still taking it so seriously. “A hero?”

“I ain’t no hero,” he said quickly, almost savagely.

“Then who is it that keeps saving all of our lives from Naraku?”

He shrugged, unaffected, still scowling. “That’s not hero, that’s responsibility.”

“Well tonight’s Halloween and you can be anything you want. So I declare that for tonight you are my hero and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She smiled at her logic and at the relaxing of his pose.

“Just for tonight?” he verified, almost shyly.

She shook her head gently, linking her fingers with his as she pulled him back down the street to join in the festivities. “For as long as you want, Inuyasha,” she whispered, “for as long as you want.”

Word count: 1031

The fight had been epic; loud enough to send those with sensitive hearing running for cover and leaving Kagome to stare in amazement when even Miroku seemed to lose his cool. His lack of mocking smile, more than anything else, tipped her off to the fact that something was really wrong.

After Sango stomped off to vent her frustrations with Hiraikotsu, Kagome gave Miroku five minutes to pull himself together before she chased after him.

 “Ne, Miroku,” she started hesitantly when she finally found him, “what was that all about? I don’t mean to pry or anything…”

His answer was immediately. “Yes, you do.” He turned to face her and at the aghast look on her face he let out a chuckle that was more sigh than anything else. “But that’s what friends do – they stick their noses where they’re not wanted but might very well be needed.”

As he sat to polish his shakujou she considered that. She was wise enough to at least be aware that she wasn’t omniscient and couldn’t know if her enquiries truly were needed, but she decided all her friends were so emotionally constipated that there was no way her meddling couldn’t benefit them in some way.

“So, was this about more than you just acting all pervy again?” she asked, knowing full well it was.

He was the image of innocence again. “How am I to help it when I am with such a beautiful woman?”

Kagome eyed him warily. “Er, I wouldn’t know about that.” Amusement lit his eyes and she instantly knew she was in trouble.

“Are you saying you don’t find Sango beautiful beyond comparison?” he prodded, perfectly aware that’s not what she’d meant.

She backtracked instantly. “No, I mean, of course she’s pretty! That’s… I…”

Waggling his eyebrows, he leaned over and smirked. “Why Kagome, I never knew you leaned that way.”

Kagome growled in frustration. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

She turned away, barely hearing his, “I’ve been told so on occasion,” but as she stomped back to the campsite both had smiles on their faces.

~ ~ ~

Originally written for the LJ group iyissekiwa, prompt: pry. Obviously this is the long version - before word culling began.

Words: 348