Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Alpha-Beta	By : SplendentGoddess Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 14857 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi or VIZ Productions, and I do not gain financially from my fanfic in any way.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
Making her feet move as silently as possible, Kagome spent the couple of minutes it took to walk back to the hot spring desperately trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach. Part of her couldn't believe what she was about to do! Knowingly walk in on Inuyasha bathing? Naked?
Not that he hasn't done the same... her mind reasoned, although she knew the times he'd seen her naked were mostly accidental. Then there was the time that she'd seen him naked...
Not helping! she scolded her wicked subconscious.
But the fact of the matter was that so long as he was in the water, she wouldn't see anything anyway, and the fact that he was naked would ensure that he stayed in the water long enough to hear out what she had to say, rather than getting agitated and leaping up into the trees as he was so fond of doing. Of course, Kagome knew she could always use the rosary to get him to stay in place, but doing something like that would pretty much undermine the entire purpose for their conversation. She had to get him to see that she wasn't the alpha...especially not in the sense that he thought of her as. She was a human being, after all, and canine pecking order simply did not apply to her. Besides, if anyone was their leader, she preferred that word much better, then it would definitely be Inuyasha, hands down. Sure, Kagome knew that she was the one who could sense the jewel shards, and ultimately, was the one who led them in the most literal sense of the word, at least whenever a shard was involved, but Inuyasha was most definitely the strongest among them. Well, okay, she was strong in her own right, despite his usual quips to the contrary, but he could take out an enemy with Tetsusaiga much more efficiently than she could with her arrows. Well...then again...she'd actually gotten pretty good with those things as of late, hadn't she? She'd very nearly killed Naraku, after all, and that was something to be quite proud of. Well, Inuyasha was unquestionably their provider, using his demonic abilities to either hunt for something to eat, or to sniff out drinkable water. Although...Kagome did bring her fair share of food with her from her time, as well as water bottles and the occasional soda, not to mention the medical supplies they needed if somebody got hurt. But besides all that...he was the one who always scouted the areas they camped at to be sure they were safe from youkai attack. He was the one who always stayed up on night vigil keeping watch to make sure that everyone else could sleep soundly. It was quite clear that he took his job of protector very seriously, so wasn't that what an alpha did? Was that what an alpha did? As she neared the hot spring, Kagome realized that she actually knew very little about pack dynamics, only the simplest of the basics, but as she thought about it, wasn't it the job of everyone else to protect the alpha, not the other way around? Wouldn't staying up to keep watch be something that a sentinel would do? But wait, now she was applying human military rank to their little group, and they no more followed the official standards of human chains of command than they did canine ones.
As she thought about it, Kagome decided in that moment that they really shouldn't have a single designated leader at all. They all did their part, they all aided the group in their own way, and so they were all equally important. But at the same time, that still meant that she needed to get Inuyasha to see how she wasn't the alpha, so their conversation still needed to progress as scheduled. With that last thought in mind, Kagome swallowed the Shikon-sized lump in her throat, as she rounded the final bush and made her presence known.
```
Sitting in the steaming pool, Inuyasha found that he could understand how the girls could sometimes take forever to bathe, as he found his own mind wandering through all sorts of subjects as the hot water relaxed his entire being, body and soul. He really needed to stop having such an attitude, didn't he? Sure, Kagome was all smiles and comforting words right now, but he was sure she wouldn't put up with his impudent behavior forever. How long would it be before she started reprimanding him for being a smart ass? He knew Kagome hated to be compared to Kikyou, and he would never be stupid enough to voice such an observation out loud, but it was true that the undead miko had never tolerated his aggressive ways, back when she'd been alive...back when they'd been together. She'd scolded him left and right for his foul tongue and harsh attitude. In fact, one of the things he loved the most about Kagome, one of the things that separated her from her preincarnation the most in his mind, was the fact that she'd always seemed to accept him just the way he was, potty mouth and all. But it was also true that up until now, he'd been the one in charge. Well, okay, it was clear that Kagome had never truly submitted to his authority, challenging him on several occasions, but he'd never really submitted to her either, and at any rate, aside from directly insulting her, or sometimes Kaede, Kagome'd never really said too much about his language one way or the other. Maybe her attitude towards his behavior really wouldn't change. Maybe she truly did accept him just the way he was, as she always claimed she did, so that even now, with their recent change in hierarchy, she would accept his occasional mutterings so long as he never officially talked back.
Inuyasha didn't know what he would do if Kagome ever started acting like Kikyou. He shuddered at the very thought. Sure, back in the beginning, he'd wanted Kagome to be more like the miko she was supposedly the reincarnation of. He'd wanted her to be better at the bow, for one thing, though he supposed that sort of talent probably couldn't be transferred with the soul from person to person. Those sorts of tasks had to be relearned with each new life, and Kagome was honestly doing remarkably well for a girl who'd very rarely fired a bow before suddenly being thrust into a situation where it was involuntarily her weapon of choice.
Another major difference between Kagome and her predecessor was that while Kikyou had always honored her duty to care for others, she'd done so with a mild air of disappointment clinging to her aura. She hadn't necessarily regretted her calling as a miko, but at the same time, she'd mourned the loss of having a normal life. Kagome, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the fact that she was truly anybody special, as she desperately tried to juggle her normal life with that of her new calling. She possessed an almost unnatural passion to help others, and had an uncanny ability to sense the good in anyone who was not truly evil. She'd known Miroku wouldn't suck her up in his wind tunnel, for one perfect example, risking herself on a gamble to save his own sorry hide, Inuyasha remembered. And she could sense the good in him too, a hanyou of all things. Kagome'd stated on several occasions that it didn't matter what was in his blood, what mattered was what was in his heart. While Kikyou had admitted that she couldn't bring herself to kill him due to his human half, and, as a result, had eventually taken the time to get to know him, a little... she'd never truly known him. Not like Kagome knew him.
Then there was Shippou, the orphaned kit whom Kagome had practically adopted. While Kikyou never would have harmed the youkai child, she most certainly never would have taken him in as a son. A wave of guilt washed over Inuyasha as he admitted to himself that, had the choice been up to him at the time, he wouldn't have taken Shippou in, either. The irony of an orphan so willing to abandon another orphan was not lost on him, and despite how hard he usually was on the runt, he could admit, at least to himself, that he was glad Kagome had insisted they keep the kitsune with them. He was one lucky pup.
In fact, now that he thought about it, Kagome'd always insisted on a lot of things, ever since he'd known her. She usually always ended up getting her way, too, so what did that say about who was truly in charge of things? He wore the very symbol of his submission to her around his neck. It might not have been a submission he'd voluntarily conceded to, at least at first, but the fact of the matter was that he'd been under her control from the very moment she'd released him from his imprisonment on that damn tree. Even before the old hag did her mumbo-jumbo that made the beads regroup around his neck, he'd been smitten by the girl who was so like Kikyou, and yet so unlike Kikyou, that his entire mind had been in a swirl. Inuyasha had eagerly sought the distraction of the jewel at the time to ignore the curiosity that was the woman before him, as he told himself all he wanted was the jewel, as he told her all he wanted was the jewel, even going as far as to threaten her life for it. But he knew, and he was pretty sure Kagome knew it as well, that if he'd truly wanted her dead, he wouldn't have missed.
Sighing, Inuyasha attempted to clear his mind of such nostalgia. While part of him regretted his behavior back in the beginning, he wouldn't change a thing, because everything that'd happened had ensured his current mission with Kagome. If he hadn't gotten collared, deciding to stick around for a chance at the jewel since the humans believed him no threat while bound by the beads... If he hadn't missed his chance at the shibugarasu, forcing Kagome to attempt that fateful shot with its leg tied around her arrow... Everything that had happened, had happened according to some master plan, he liked to believe, allowing him and Kagome to get to know one another when in all reality, the two of them never should have met.
Damn it all, but he couldn't get the girl off his mind, no matter how hard he tried. It was like her very being surrounded his aura at all times. He could even smell her sweet scent dancing on the breeze, like an afterthought from when she'd been bathing in the same pool he now currently sat in. Funny how Sango's lingering scent seemed so much weaker, but he supposed it was just because he knew Kagome's scent so well...not that he was unfamiliar with the slayer's, but Kagome's special fragrance was like a balm to his wounded soul.
A snapping twig instantly drew the hanyou's attention, as his ears immediately turned in the direction of the noise. Bah, just another animal, like the time by the well. He really needed to stop jumping at every little noise. But then, with his ears already honed in on that particular direction, the crunch of grass suddenly registered in his mind. Someone was there, approaching rapidly. He tried to sniff the air, but the direction of the breeze had shifted again, and all he could smell was Kagome's lingering scent. Perhaps it was the monk, sent to take a bath after all? Kagome would probably concede to such if Sango appealed to her as a fellow alpha-female. He had to admit that the slayer was definitely tough in her own right, and he was only ever so thankful that she was apparently willing to submit to following others, despite her independent nature. It was probably because back when she'd been with the rest of the taijiya, she had followed the orders of her father, who had been their leader at the time, so the concept of following another's command was already something Sango was familiar with.
Hearing the footsteps continue to approach, Inuyasha cursed the fact that still, all he could smell was Kagome. He was seriously starting to wonder if the hot water was affecting his brain when the approaching figure suddenly appeared from behind the shrubbery.
Oh shit!
"Kagome!" he proclaimed in surprise, not ducking down further in the water, as would be the girls' reaction to an intruder of the opposite gender, though he did warily eye his clothing where it rested on the bank.
"Hello, Inuyasha..." the miko replied, and despite her attempt at sounding calm, the slight hesitation in her breathing, coupled by the frantic pounding of her heart, assured the hanyou that she was currently a nervous wreck. What the hell was going on?
"What are you doing here?" he asked her, though he tried to keep his tone more neutral so she wouldn't perceive him to be snapping her head off...which was what he really wanted to do. What the hell is she doing here???

"We need to talk." Kagome answered, as she unfolded the towel he had sitting near his clothing and laid it out on the damp grass to take a seat, setting her bag down beside her.
"And you decided we needed to talk right now?" he asked a little more harshly than intended, wincing as he saw her cringe at his tone.
Fortunately, she didn't get angry as she actually apologized. "I'm sorry to intrude upon your bath, but I figured it was the only way I could be sure you'd stay here and listen."
"Feh," he brushed off, still mildly annoyed. "You should know that if you told me to sit and listen to you I would...all things considered." he reluctantly admitted, proving yet again that Sango's theory was correct.
"That's what we need to talk about." Kagome spoke up then. "I'm sorry about what happened last week, with the beads..." she trailed off for a moment, her guilt a tangible thing he could see in her aura, "... I didn't mean to hurt you, but even more than that, I didn't mean for you to feel as though I was dominating you." she deliberately emphasized.
Part of Kagome was actually hoping for his response to be something along the lines of indignant sputters and gruff denials, accusations and dismissals, so when he merely cocked his head to the side and gazed at her with an expression of genuine confusion, she felt the last ray of hope that this had all just been some silly misunderstand that would be easily resolved slip away.
"Inuyasha..." she spoke up, loudly and clearly, earning his full attention as his head and ears snapped erect. "I'm not an inu-youkai, and 'pack rules' don't apply to me."
Cocking his head once more, Inuyasha spoke slowly, clearly unsure of what she was trying to tell him. "But...I don't understand...you've been doing everything an alpha would do."
Sighing, Kagome admitted, "That was purely coincidental, trust me."
"So...you don't want to be our alpha?"
Ah, maybe this would be easy after all. "Nope." she said with a grin.
To her surprise and dismay, his ears actually drooped, as she heard him ask quietly, "Did I do something wrong?"
Oh for the love of...
"You didn't do anything wrong, Inuyasha, until you started acting all weird on me, like...now." she gestured helplessly. "What do I have to do, order you to not follow my orders? That seems a little contradictive, don't ya think?"
Kagome was absolutely beside herself when Inuyasha only continued to look even sadder. Gods...I've never seen him look so utterly rejected before...wait.
Crawling closer so that she was almost to the water's edge, a light dusting of pink brushed her cheeks as Inuyasha quickly splashed in the spring, clearly repositioning himself to hide 'certain' things from her view. She'd forgotten about that little tidbit... Not so little, really. Focus girl!
"I'm not rejecting you, Inuyasha." she murmured softly. He probably thought I was trying to abandon him or something. He doesn't seem to understand that pack rules just don't apply. Oh well, to hell with the 'no pack rules' strategy. He can be the alpha, then, 'cause I just don't want it.

Quickly thinking of an action that would put her in the subservient role, Kagome reached for her bag and dragged it towards her, opening its zipper and thankfully finding what she was looking for without much hassle.
"May I brush your hair?" she asked him gently, holding up her hairbrush for his inspection. He looked confused again, but at least he no longer looked rejected. If she never saw that look in his eyes again for as long as she lived it would be too soon.

Inuyasha was confused, and for so many reasons. First, little miss 'don't you dare peep at me' came strutting into his private bath time, a bath she'd obviously sent him on just for the sole purpose of following him for some 'alone' time. Then, she started apologizing for winning her domination, which made absolutely no sense. If you didn't want to dominate the other, why challenge their authority at all? She had wanted to go home, would have insisted on it nonstop until she'd finally gotten her way, so that was being the dominant. She could drop him like a rock with a single command, a canine command at that, and now she wanted him to believe that it wasn't her intention to take his position of alpha? What kind of mind game was that? He'd heard plenty of men talk amongst themselves about the witchy, tricky ways of women, but he'd never really put Kagome in that category before. No...she wouldn't deliberately screw with his head like that, and she was human, so maybe...maybe she really just didn't want him...er...their pack, she didn't want their pack. But she was getting along with everyone else just fine, nothing had changed between herself and the others at all, so was it just him, then? Had he displeased her in some way? Actually, apparently, he had. According to Kagome, she didn't like his more subservient behavior. But that didn't make any sense either! What the hell did she want, a constant, non-stop, unending battle of wills? Were they just supposed to remain deadlocked forever, like the fucking miko and youkai trapped in the sacred jewel? Bah...damn woman. She didn't want him to submit to her wishes, except whenever she wanted to go home, or wanted to follow pointless shard rumors, or wanted to help idiotic villagers that deserved what they got, or wanted to so obviously go out of the way to get to a hot spring because bathing in a river was 'too cold'. She didn't want to be the alpha, just so long as he did as she said, so long as he didn't abuse the runt, and so long as he allowed her to sit and have a pleasant conversation with him while he was stark naked! He should just get out of the water and see how long it would take for her to run screaming.
No...what was the matter with him? Upsetting Kagome was the last thing he wanted to do, and not just because he knew there would be consequences for his actions. He didn't even care about the rosary. That single slip-up with his tongue aside, getting 'osuwari'd really didn't hurt. It was a small price to pay for the peace of mind it offered him to know that Kagome was protected should he ever transform into a bloodthirsty monster. He didn't understand why Kagome was rejecting his obedience, but it was clear that she was. Did she simply not wish to be associated with him in such a manner? He was just there to help her, but that was it? Was she...was she kicking him out of the pack? No, actually, she was kicking herself out of the pack, from the sound of things. She was from another place, after all...hell, another time, actually, so maybe she just didn't want to be part of a pack in what she called 'the past' when she also had another life in the future. A life away from hunting shards and killing youkai. A life away from...him.
Just when he thought he had her all figured out, her question of if she could brush his hair had him confused all over again. So was she not rejecting him? She'd just assured him as such, as she'd proceeded to offer to groom him. Not that she'd truly needed to ask his permission, but he supposed he appreciated the gesture. Not that he was about to turn her down when it was clear that she was attempting to make up for her earlier words. Grooming other members of the pack was actually a very intimate thing to do, which showed an inherent tenderness, a fondness for that member. It was the action an alpha would most likely partake in, aside from offering first choice of the kills, that was meant to reassure the lesser of their status in the pack. So did that mean that Kagome had reconsidered? She no longer wanted to relinquish her position? That was good, because if she'd insisted on no longer being a part of the pack, merely an independent who traveled with them temporarily to aid in completing their mission, Inuyasha didn't know what he would've done. He didn't want their pack at all if Kagome wasn't going to be a part of it.
Readjusting himself in the water so that he was sitting with his back against the bank nearest Kagome, Inuyasha relished in the delicate sensation of her brush's bristles running carefully through his tangled mane. The touch was light, fleeting, and similar to the calming sensation he always got whenever she rode upon his back. He was far too strong for her added weight to truly pull him down in any way, but the feeling of her body pressed against his own, her arms and legs clinging to him so tightly, she was like a second layer that had been applied to his person, whenever he carried her. A warm blanket wrapped around his very soul.
Feeling her delicate fingers begin working out some of the tougher mats in his hair, Inuyasha resigned himself to her enjoyable torture. Torture that only increased in volume as he felt her nimble digits begin massaging his scalp, before craftily working their way up to his twitching ears. Why she was always so fascinated by the damn things was beyond him, but he would admit that her touch in that moment was soothing. He was not very used to physical contact, but he had become accustomed to Kagome's lack of fear or disgust wherever touching him was involved. How many times had she offered a gentle touch on his arm? A comforting hand on his shoulder? Even the highest honor of flesh on flesh contact as she lovingly held his hand, her fingers intertwined intimately with his own? And now here she was, gently massaging his canine ears, the one thing about his body that branded him the most as being a freak, and there wasn't a single drop of repulsion present in her scent. Only tenderness. Only compassion. It was times like now that he could actually allow himself the most fleeting of thoughts that, just perhaps, she truly wasn't disgusted by him. That maybe, just maybe, she actually cared for him...truly cared.

When Inuyasha had remained quiet at her question, Kagome had begun to feel a combination of worry and foolishness, but then he'd suddenly turned his back to her, which was a good thing, as he quickly scooted backward towards the shore so that his hair was within easy reach. Relieved beyond measure, Kagome relished in the opportunity to brush out his beautiful hair. Hair that surprisingly came free of its tangles remarkably easy, despite how wind-blown it was.
Must be a youkai thing... she reasoned. Damn, if only her hair could do that!
A few of the larger mats did require that she work them loose with her fingers, though, not that she was complaining. Far from it, in fact. It wasn't long before Kagome started massaging his scalp in addition to working loose the knots in his hair. An ear twitching in the late evening breeze caught her attention, and before she knew it, her fingers were at the base of each appendage, rubbing gently. She knew Inuyasha hated it whenever anybody messed with his ears, but she was pretty sure that was mostly only because he hated his ears. Surely he didn't find her gentle rubbing unpleasant, or he would tell her to stop, wouldn't he? Then again, if he was still on the whole alpha-beta kick, maybe he wouldn't tell her to stop, despite his discomfort. But that was the whole point of brushing his hair, wasn't it? Brushing somebody else's hair was something that a servant would do...at least in his time period. While Kagome knew the gesture didn't necessarily signify anything other than friendship or family in her own century, such an intimate act of service had to be viewed more significantly in the Feudal era. In fact, with the way Inuyasha was currently sitting before her naked in the hot spring, she probably looked to an outside observer like a bathhouse attendant of some sort, but since there were no outside observers, she didn't mind.
Such a fleeting thought actually gave the miko an idea, although she was hesitant to voice it aloud. Gulping down her sudden nervousness, Kagome would question her sanity later as she decided to kick things up a notch, asking behind a blush she was grateful he couldn't see, "Is there anything else I can do for you? Would you like h-help...washing?"
She cursed her embarrassed stutter and half expected Inuyasha to dart forward out of her reach at such a ballsy question, so she was mildly relieved, yet nervous all the same, when he merely pulled back enough to turn his head to look at her with that same gaze of confusion that was becoming far too commonplace for her liking.

Damn it, what was wrong with her? Why was she so nervous? She didn't smell disgusted by him, so the prospect of aiding in his washing couldn't be bothering her for that reason. Was it just a human thing, because he was a nude male, while she was an inexperienced female? It was so hard to think like a human at times, but while he supposed he should be embarrassed by the idea of her very presence during his bath, his youkai instincts kept rising to the surface to override his human feelings, telling him that nudity aside, he needed to concede to the gestures of acceptance by his alpha, as she made her affection for her second crystal clear. But she wasn't clear on anything at all! Her actions kept saying one thing while the words out of her mouth said the complete opposite! She said her actions as an alpha had been coincidental, unintentional...so...was it possible she was still unaware of what she was doing? Deciding to reach inside his human half in that moment, Inuyasha knew that despite his usual disdain for conversation, words were exactly what they needed.
"You keep saying one thing, yet doing the other." he blurted out, exasperated as Kagome was suddenly the one to adopt a look of confusion.
"Huh?"
"All this...this." he tried to explain, gesturing between the two of them. "You say you revoke the right of alpha, then proceed to groom me. What the hell, Kagome?"

Said miko was speechless for a moment, as she slowly processed her hanyou companion's words. Offering to brush out his hair had been an act of domination? Apparently, it was from a canine's point of view, at least.
"Inuyasha...I'm human." she attempted once more. "In the human world, those of higher standing have servants who tend to their hair, who assist in their bathing..." she tried to explain.
His expression of confusion immediately changed to one of disgust, as he backed away from her in the water a little more, though it was quickly apparent that he had only been disgusted by her words, not herself.
"You think I want you as my servant?" he ground out, shocked and appalled by such a backwards concept.
"No!" she quickly tried to amend. "But...you are of noble birth, noble human birth, from your mother's side. Surely she had maids of some sort who tended to her. You did not think they the alpha to whom your mother was submitting, did you?"
He merely snorted, looking at her like she was a complete idiot. "I was just a brat back then, like I understood one thing from another. Besides, like you said, my mother was human. Those at the house...they didn't go by pack rules, it was different."
"But I'm human too, Inuyasha." she said again, and for the first time, he truly seemed to hear her words, as his eyes widened ever so slightly.
"So...so you really didn't understand?" he asked her then.
"Yes!" she exclaimed with loud relief. "Finally, yes, thank you."
Inuyasha gazed downward into the water, staring blankly at the patches of moonlight reflected off its rapidly darkening surface, as the sun slipped further and further from sight behind the canopy of tall trees that surrounded them. Finally, he seemed to reach a conclusion of sorts, as he lifted his eyes to greet hers, a look of resolve present in his amber gaze.
"I'm not human, Kagome, and it works both ways. Human rules don't apply to me."
She gasped at the intensity of his gaze, his eyes seemingly glowing with an unnatural lumination as the rest of the world continued to darken around them.
"Inuyasha..." she started, but he cut her off.
"These say I must submit to you." he stated, yanking on the necklace he was incapable of removing.
"I'm so sorry for hurting you with them last week."
He snorted again. "It didn't really hurt all that much, it was a stupid injury. But what should it matter to you, if you don't want to dominate me? You shouldn't need to draw blood to realize how demeaning a fucking kotodama can be."
She gasped again, but remained silent, Sango's words ringing in her ear.
"They're called 'beads of subjugation' for a reason..."
Finally, Kagome found her voice, and as she spoke, he could hear her regret, her shame for her actions, and realized that she truly hadn't understood.
"I'm so sorry." she apologized again. "I do understand how important our mission is here, but sometimes, I really do need to go home. If you refuse to allow it, then you leave me with no other choice. I don't want to use the rosary for such a reason, but when I need to go home, I need to go home. What I want is for you to let me go without an argument."
That time he actually laughed, though it was dark and riddled with sarcasm. "So you don't want to dominate me, so long as I do exactly as you say."
Sighing, Kagome muttered, "I thought we were friends, not competitors in a battle for who's in charge of who."
His ears lowered at her defeated tone, but before he could say anything, she spoke up once more.
"How can I make it up to you, in the canine way? How do I submit to you in return, to undo what I did?"
His eyes widened at such an unexpected, blunt question. Inu-youkai simply knew their instinctive ways, so nothing was ever discussed on the subject. 'Talking' about feelings was something that humans did. How did he go about telling her what just came naturally to him?
"Just because I don't want to be your alpha," Kagome continued when he remained silent, "doesn't mean I'm abandoning you or our 'pack'." she reassured him. "Though I do need to go home when I have a test, and I will use the rosary if you leave me with no other choice, aside from those times...I'll gladly default to you."
He shook his head. "I can't be your alpha, Kagome, so long as you have these." he admitted, tugging on his beads once more. "Especially when you admit that you'll continue to use them if need be."
"But you didn't concede defeat until eight days ago!" she protested weakly, trying to keep the rising whine out of her voice. "Can't we just go back to the way things were?"
"The way things were was that you and I were in challenge for alpha position." he answered matter-of-factly, adding, "A challenge you ended eight days ago."
Kagome was on the verge of tears from sheer frustration as she ran her hand exasperatedly down her face, muttering a few choice phrases Inuyasha had to strain his ears to catch. A light dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks at his surprise over the miko's vocabulary.
Fucking hell... Kagome groaned to herself, truly at a loss. She didn't want to dominate him, but so long as he wore the rosary, he wouldn't even let her submit! Yet, he refused to be her equal, either, like such a thing didn't even exist. It was just one way or the other. She couldn't remove the rosary...not when they both knew that it was her only guaranteed ticket home when she had to go to school. Damn it all, but if only there was a way to get him to agree to a truce of sorts, a partnership where she got her way sometimes, but other times she'd let him be the leader. Suddenly, something from that fateful documentary gave her an idea.
He was talking about wolf packs, but then again, he did say that wild dogs were similar in behavior to wolves.
Inuyasha's willingness to submit, and apparent unwillingness to 'un'submit, proved to Kagome that he saw her as a strong, powerful female, so maybe...
"How about we both become alpha together, like partners?" she blurted as soon as the idea popped into her head, without allowing herself any time to truly think things over before the thought had already come to life through her voice. "You know, an alpha-male and alpha-female?"
"Wh-what?!"
Oh shit, wait a minute... Kagome realized quickly. Alpha male and female pairs are mated!
Well, that was one way to admit her feelings for him, even if she'd done so unintentionally, yet again...
What's said is said. I won't back down if he won't.
"You heard me." she stated with false bravado, praying he couldn't smell how nervous she suddenly was, while at the same time hoping he didn't come out and tell her something like how inu-youkai didn't have ruling alpha male and female pairs the way ookami did. She tried to remind herself that the 'polygamous' nature of domesticated dogs shouldn't necessarily apply to him, since he wasn't 'domesticated'...far from it, actually...and besides, aside from Kikyou, who wasn't even truly alive and certainly not a member of their 'pack', she had no other competition, anyway.
Inuyasha's mind was reeling a mile a minute at Kagome's falsely innocent proposal. How could she just come out and suggest...?
In that moment, Inuyasha quickly began to reevaluate everything he'd ever believed about the miko from the future. Kagome had just gone from pussyfooting around her desire to be excluded from the pack, however intentional or unintentional her position on that matter had been, to blatantly and knowingly suggesting that they command the pack together as a mated pair. Of course, taking Kagome as his alpha-female had always been his right, but while it was something he had allowed himself to fantasize about on several occasions, Inuyasha had never truly thought that the fantasy could ever become a reality. The thought of Kagome as his equal, as his alpha-female, quickly reminded Inuyasha of his current lack of attire in that moment, as a certain part of him suddenly 'pointed' out how it had no problem with Kagome's proposition.
Oh shit, I hope she can't see through the water!
Inuyasha was suddenly very flush, and not just from the steaming pool he'd currently been submerged in for much longer than originally intended, although the hot water certainly wasn't helping any to cool his heated blood. He was only ever so thankful that the encroaching twilight would impair Kagome's night vision to the point where his current predicament could remain undetected. Although, given what Kagome had just suggested, maybe he didn't have to worry about her reaction to discovering her effect on him, after all. He'd feared in the past that she would be disgusted by his desire for her. While he'd believed she cared, knew she saw him as a friend, he hadn't thought that she could ever want to...to be intimate with him, as man and woman. But that was what she'd just suggested they do! Or was she remaining in the dark regarding canine customs, yet again? She was aware of what solidified the bond between alpha males and females, wasn't she? Wasn't she???
She didn't use the word 'mates', after all. She said 'partners'...which in the human tongue, can have lots of different meanings.
The silence stretched out between them for several agonizing minutes before Kagome finally heard Inuyasha's almost painful mutter of, "I don't think you know what you're asking." His voice was strained, his current situation making it much harder to form words as most of the blood in his body had rushed elsewhere.
Unaware of Inuyasha's current inner turmoil, Kagome took the tone of his voice to mean he was rejecting her idea. "Is that a 'no'?" she asked softly, unable to mask the slight disappointment in her voice. While her suggestion had been unintentional, her heart had started fluttering at the idea until his harsh statement. She wasn't ready to be rejected so easily.
"Kagome-" Inuyasha started then, his tone gruff, but he abruptly cut himself off in surprise at the sight of her undressing. Holy shit!
Kagome would definitely have to question her sanity later, but right now, she was through with words. Actions spoke so much louder, she had learned, and apparently, she'd been confusing poor Inuyasha to death by saying one thing while unknowingly doing another. At least this way, her actions were finally matching the words she had spoken. He might not think she knew what she had asked, but he was wrong. Truth be told, the idea of being with Inuyasha intimately was nothing knew. Kagome had been having sexual fantasies about the dog-eared hanyou for months now. She was old enough for that kind of a relationship, and her mother had even approached her on the subject once, telling her daughter how she trusted her to make the right decisions, and to follow what was in her heart. Kagome knew that no matter what, she would not regret her decision now, to be with Inuyasha, regardless of the outcome. She also realized something else in that moment that was very important. She was not really trying to gain favor with him, trying to become his equal. It was actually the other way around. Until she convinced him otherwise, she was the alpha, so all she was trying to do now was show him how much she wanted him to be her equal.
Inuyasha was frozen speechless, and utterly shocked stupid. What was Kagome doing??? I guess that answers whether or not she knows what being 'partners' really means... he somehow managed to think, as he just sat there and watched her slowly undress before him. First, she removed her shoes and socks, which she must have done at some point when he wasn't looking, because the sight that had originally stunned him silent was that of her hands delicately undoing the buttons on her blouse. Done unfastening said garment, Kagome allowed her blouse to slip from her shoulders, pooling on the ground behind her. She then reached for the zipper at her hip, raising herself up to her knees in order to shimmy her skirt down her legs, resuming her sitting position as she pulled the garment free, tossing it behind her to join her blouse. Now sitting on her legs before him in merely her bra and panties, Inuyasha had to consciously fight the urge to reach for his throbbing erection, certain that Kagome would notice the suddenly sloshing of the water if he dared to try to ease the torment she was currently putting him under.
While Kagome knew she should feel vulnerable sitting there exposed to Inuyasha's hungry gaze, the truth was that she'd never felt so alive! It was clear to her now from his strained expression that she was definitely having an effect on him. While dominating him in a sexual manner was not really on her agenda, she was pleased to discover how easily she could seduce him. Now, all she had to do was get him to take charge. Remaining quiet, because she had finally learned her lesson to not confuse her actions with unnecessary words, Kagome silently reached behind herself in that moment, unhooking the clasp on her bra. Inuyasha's eyes grew noticeably larger at the sight of her bare breasts, as she casually tossed her bra aside, and from the look of the rather suspicious ripples suddenly appearing in the water directly before him, Kagome would venture to guess that his eyes weren't the only things to have enlarged.
He couldn't help it. At the sight of her breasts he lost all measurable control, as his hand found its way to his pulsing member of its own accord. How he longed to touch her, taste her, hear her moan his name. He wasn't quite sure what was keeping him frozen in place in the hot spring, when her intentions had long ago become blatantly transparent, except perhaps part of him was merely enjoying the show. He had only ever seen her naked before in fleeting glimpses, after all, and aside from the time he'd rescued her from the peach man, he had always received an 'osuwari' for his troubles. To be permitted to gaze upon her now, his hanyou vision in no way impaired by the low light of the half-moon, it was a reward he planned on taking his time enjoying.
At the sight of Kagome raising herself up to her knees once more, only to gently tug her white cotton panties down her hips and thighs, he nearly lost it, a low moan escaping his lips that he was certain she must have heard. She was hairless. Completely hairless. When had this started? She hadn't been hairless the last time he'd seen her. While he knew she shaved her legs, having enjoyed the feel of her smooth skin in his palms on several occasions as he held her in place on his back, he'd had no idea that she'd started shaving...
Kagome, quickly noticing where his gaze had relocated, couldn't stop the mild blush that rose to her cheeks as she meekly explained, "Sometimes we go several days between baths. I just...feel cleaner this way." She always made sure to keep her armpits shaved as well, for the same reason. It only took a couple of minutes of privacy behind a large bush, and made her feel much less sweaty and stinky between baths.
Inuyasha slowly nodded his head in understanding, as though in a trance. Kagome smiled then, and deciding that some words were all right, she asked him playfully, "Like what you see?" He merely nodded again.
Kagome had definitely heard the moan that had escaped his lips as she'd relieved herself of her final garment. Now kneeling before him completely nude, she adopted a playful look at the increase of ripples in the water, easily noticeable even to her human eyes thanks to the reflected moonlight. If she didn't think of something quick, their fun would be over before it even began, but deciding that two could play at his little game, Kagome settled herself back down on the bath towel in that moment, deliberately facing her companion to grant him the best view, as she slowly started to join him in his self-satisfactory activity.
Just keep your eyes closed, girl, and pretend you're home in your room...

It was embarrassing, yes, but also exhilarating at the same time. She knew he was naked as well, after all, sitting only a few feet before her, and currently touching himself in the same fashion. That knowledge drove her forward, as she slowly lied back until she was resting comfortably on the forest floor, her lower half still sitting upon the towel as her upper body rested on the soft grass. Consciously, she spread her legs even further, bending them at the knees, fully aware of her actions as she drove herself to higher levels of excitement. It wasn't long before Kagome heard the distinctive sloshing of water, but at first she merely thought that Inuyasha had become more aggressive in his own actions. She didn't realize he had actually climbed out of the spring until she felt the sudden jolt of his tongue joining her fingers.
Okay, that's it!! Inuyasha thought as he saw Kagome slowly lay back on the ground before him, spreading her legs and granting him a view of her he'd never seen before. As he watched her fingers slowly circle her dripping womanhood, heard her moans of self-gratification, something in him simply snapped as he released his own aching member and climbed unsteadily on shaky legs out of the pool. Her scent was absolutely driving him wild. She was a prime, healthy bitch, laying on her back before him, practically begging to be taken, and he would comply.
Diving into her tongue first, the only thought to penetrate Inuyasha's severely blood-deprived brain was how magnificent she tasted. Kagome jumped momentarily at his touch, clearly surprised, but she quickly melted into him after that, in more ways than one. Pulling her hand away and keeping it pinned with his own, Inuyasha used the fingers on his free hand to pull her nether lips apart, assaulting her clit with repeated and rapid strokes of his tongue. It wasn't long at all before Kagome was bucking up underneath him, squirming uncontrollably as she audibly gasped his name over and over.
Kagome was seeing stars. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined how different, how much better it could feel. She had pleasured herself on several occasions, but nothing, absolutely nothing came even remotely close to the sensation of his tongue on her clit. She was a slave to the pleasure he was flooding her with as her body flooded his mouth with her nectar. She lost all coherent thought as she desperately tried to reach the climax she could feel her body approaching, gasping his name as the only anchor she could think of to keep herself at least partially grounded. When she came she came hard, crying out in what Inuyasha could have easily mistaken as pain had he not intimately known better.
Inuyasha road out the waves of her turbulence for a moment, before finally ceasing his actions when he could tell she'd truly had enough. He sat up then, gazing down at her with a silly grin on his glossy lips. He'd done that. He'd brought her that kind of pleasure. When she opened her eyes to greet his hazily, he didn't even try to hide the evidence of his own excitement, not even when her eyes lowered and locked specifically on its location. Kagome stared at his erection for a moment, a barrage of emotions running across her face, barely half of which he could recognize. She then raised her eyes back up to meet his own, and the most prominent expression he believed he could clearly make out in her chocolate orbs was...hope.
He understood everything, then. She wasn't just doing this for the pack, but for herself, as well. She didn't just want to be with him as his alpha-female, but as his human female companion. She was trying to understand, and would try to abide by, the rules of the 'pack'...but inu-youkai customs aside, she wanted him, as a woman wanted a man. She was hoping that, as a man, he wanted her too.
Crawling up the length of her body, Inuyasha settled himself on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight, as he rested his throbbing stiffness against the sleek, heated flesh of her neither region. It wasn't the position he would take her in, but he wasn't ready to finalize the mating just yet. Kagome's eyes furrowed in slight confusion at the pause in activity, but he simply didn't want to rush things. His eyes searched hers in that moment, hoping he could portray to her everything he couldn't say with words. He caught her gaze as it lowered slightly, and instantly knew that she was staring at his lips. Did she want him to kiss her? As the thought entered his head, Inuyasha realized in that moment that he did feel the urge to kiss her, to pour his love into her with the most basic of human expressions, and the realization was a tremendous wake-up call. Yes, he was half inu-youkai, but he was also half human. The woman below him had always accepted his mixed blood, so maybe...maybe it was time that he accepted it, as well.

"Inu-youkai...do not kiss." he whispered harshly, seconds before crashing his lips down upon her own.
Kagome had never felt anything even remotely similar in her entire life. The climax he had given her was by far the most powerful she had ever experienced. Part of her wanted to be jealous, suspicious, question how he'd gotten so good at such an action, but the rest of her, not wanting to ruin the moment, merely chalked it up to his youkai instincts. Everything else always seemed to come naturally to him, so why not that?
Finally coming down from her high, Kagome managed to crack her eyes back open, only to be greeted by the most wonderful vision. Inuyasha smiling. She'd done that. She'd brought him this moment of genuine happiness. Then her eyes lowered and she caught sight of what she really did to him. So many emotions ran through her mind in that instant that she wasn't even sure how to feel. Part of her wanted to feel embarrassed for blatantly staring at his cock, while another part of her stamped that first feeling down, telling her that all things considered, she had every right to stare as long as she wanted. Part of her was nervous, because she knew the first time was supposed to hurt, although with everything she'd put her body through in recent months, she seriously doubted her hymen was still intact. Part of her was anxious, feeling as though she was finally facing a moment she'd been waiting for for months. Part of her was nervous for a reason completely unrelated to physical discomfort, as a tiny little speck of doubt in the back of her mind questioned what the hanyou's feelings for her truly were. She tried to stamp that part down as well, telling herself that it didn't matter what his specific feelings were. She knew that he cared for her, loved her in his own way. Their joining would make them partners in the pack, after all, so there was no reason to fear that he would just use her for sex. While he might not be 'in love' with her the same way a human man loved his wife, he would be loyal to her. He would never hurt her on purpose. She already knew how possessive he could get whenever it came to another guy showing her any sort of interest, and she was certain that he would get at least ten times worse once they finalized their joining. She would be his... His female, 'his woman' as certain guys who shall remain nameless liked to call her. She would deal with the Kikyou factor one day at a time, but she wouldn't hesitate to remind Inuyasha that he was also hers...and if he tried to tell her that it didn't work that way...well...that's why he still had the rosary.
Kagome hoped she didn't have to worry about any of that, though. As her eyes met his once more, and she saw the sheer devotion he seemed to be portraying to her through their amber depths, she truly hoped that she wasn't misreading him. Hoped that the love she thought she saw in his gaze was genuine.
As he crawled up her body, Kagome told herself, This is it... so she was mildly confused when he merely rested himself against her, without seeking entry. Her confusion was gone the instant his eyes sought hers, however, as she was suddenly mesmerized by the amount of love she could feel him projecting into her through his gaze. Any lingering hesitation she might've had was vaporized in that moment, as zero doubt of his feelings for her remained in her mind, subconscious or otherwise. She couldn't help her eyes lowering, then, as she caught sight of his soft lips. Lips that had just granted her the most intimate of pleasures. How she longed to taste them, even to taste herself upon them. She longed to express to him her love, not daring to trust her voice, lest she ruin the moment with her words.
Kagome could see it in Inuyasha's eyes that he'd noticed her gaze, could see that something heavy was suddenly weighing down upon his mind. When she heard his strained whisper explaining how inu-youkai did not kiss, she was nearly crushed by the reminder of his inhumanity. Nearly. Before her mind could fully process his words, she felt his lips crash down upon her own, as he devoured her with a hungry passion. Kagome understood then, what he was truly telling her. Happily and eagerly returning his kiss, she wound her arms and legs up and around his back, holding him to her. With one hand placed at the back of his head, she fisted his hair, careful not to pull too hard, though she knew he did not feel pain that easily. Inuyasha reacted positively to her possessive hold, growling low in the back of his throat in a way that made Kagome's excitement soar to new heights, as she started grinding herself against him. He might not be fully human, might not even think of things in the world around him from a human's point of view, but he was telling her through their kiss that a human's love rested within him somewhere, and he was capable of showing it.
Inuyasha could not help but to react to her grinding, as his hips starting moving of their own accord, seeking to at least mildly relieve some of the tension his body was feeling, as he continued to bombard her mouth, chin and neck with passionate kisses. Despite his erection's protests, he simply wasn't ready to relinquish his current position. He loved the way she tasted. He loved all the little moans that kept escaping her throat as he suckled her tongue and lips. He loved the way she gasped when he trailed his tongue along her neck, planting delicate little nips with his fangs, careful not to break the skin. He loved...her. He loved Kagome.
He must have pulled back further than intended, because in that moment, Inuyasha suddenly realized that his shaft had become lined up with her entrance. He wasn't supposed to take her in that position! He was supposed to take her from behind, like an inu-youkai. But...as he gazed down into her eyes in that moment, he could see all the love she felt for him reflected in her chocolate depths, and he knew...she was human.
"What do you do to me, onna?" he moaned in pleasure, as every single fiber of his being was absolutely screaming at him to either flip her over, or move his hips forward, or something!
"The same as you do to me, koibito."
At her term of endearment his eyes widened, before a fierce growl escaped his throat as he slammed his lips back down upon her own. Decision made, he slowly began pressing himself inside of her, careful not to cause her any unnecessary pain. He swallowed her small groans of discomfort, and did not cease in his descent until his hips were resting snugly against her own. Pulling his head back then, their eyes locked, and while a few tears of pain had leaked past the boundary of her orbs against her will, Kagome's eyes shown in that moment with nothing but unbridled happiness. Offering her a small, genuine smile, Inuyasha tipped his head forward, and gently licked the tear tracks from her face.
"I was supposed to take you from behind, you know." he told her then, mild amusement in his voice.

Kagome looked momentarily concerned, and started to say, "I can turn over..." but he silenced her with a gentle, chaste kiss upon her nose.
Eyes sparkling mirthfully, he spoke from the heart as he told her, "I think I like this way better."
Inuyasha lowered his lips to hers again in that moment, as he slowly retracted his hips, only to push back in again. Kagome's body protested his invasion, but it was not as painful as she'd feared it would be. Just as she'd suspected, she'd felt no resistance from a maidenhead, only the tight, mild burning sensation of her unused passage stretching to accommodate her lover's girth. After a few minutes of slow and steady motion, which Inuyasha had to grit his teeth to maintain, the hanyou could tell that the action was finally becoming more pleasurable for the female below him, as Kagome started raising her hips up to meet his thrusts. Gradually picking up his tempo, then, Inuyasha started moving faster and faster, encouraged by the moans of pleasure escaping Kagome's lips, as she met his rhythm thrust for thrust.
Despite his more rapid movements, Kagome could tell that he was hesitant to unleash his full strength. She knew how strong he was, but she also knew that he would never, could never hurt her.
"Let go..." she whispered then. "I can take it."
As though a part of his psyche had merely been awaiting her command, the instant those words left her lips, Inuyasha snarled before propping himself up on his arms, forcing Kagome to relinquish the grip she'd had of him around his shoulders, as he repeatedly pounded himself into her with abandon. The miko could do nothing but hold on for the ride, her legs unable to stay wound around his hips as they fell to either side, her entire body jerking back slightly with the force of each thrust as her breasts bounced in time with his tempo. While she could still feel slight pain from the sheer newness of the action, that mild discomfort was vastly outweighed by the incredible waves of pleasure washing through her. Inuyasha was very well endowed, and he was hitting something buried deeply within her that made her cry out with every stroke.
Inuyasha was close, but he could also tell that his bitch was close, and he wanted Kagome to come once more before he joined her in climax. He didn't dare touch her from that angle, however, lest he risk severely injuring her with his claws.
"Touch yourself." he commanded then, and Kagome was more surprised to realize that by his tone, it actually was a command, rather than what he'd actually said.
Wordlessly, she complied, understanding his haste by the gruffness of his tone. She could already feel her second climax on the approach, so aiding herself in that moment, it took mere seconds to fall over the cliff of ecstasy.
Inuyasha didn't know which sensation he preferred, the feel of her inner muscles tightening around his member as she road out her climax, or the sound of his name being cried from her lungs as she did so. With only four more thrusts in rapid succession he followed her, spiraling downward into the obis of pleasure, as his hips locked tight and his body filled her womb with his seed. Fortunately, it was the wrong time of the month for Kagome to conceive. That was a conversation best saved for another day.
Allowing his arms to collapse, Inuyasha lowered himself across her body once more, resting his face in the crook of her neck as he desperately panted for breath. He wasn't sure how long he laid there like that, but the feel of Kagome's delicate fingers lazily drawing circles across his lower back gradually brought him back into reality. Pulling his head back far enough for their eyes to lock, he asked her with a crooked grin, "You okay?"
Smiling with the happiest expression he could ever recall seeing her wear, Kagome was quick to assure him, "Never better."
Slowly and carefully backing away enough to pull his softening member out of her, Inuyasha then moved himself into a sitting position, heedless of his continued nudity as he knew Kagome now had the right to gaze upon him to her heart's content. Fortunately, the miko seemed to realize the same privilege now belonged to him, as well, as she also failed to hide herself as she sat up beside him.
Gradually, the silence between them grew awkward, but knowing something had to be said on the subject, Kagome finally decided that she'd be the one to first mention the giant pink elephant, as it were.
"What do we do now?" she asked shyly, her bravado from earlier completely deflated, although she still remained sitting proudly naked beside him, not attempting to cover herself from view.
"Now..." Inuyasha started slowly, "...we take another bath, wench, unless you wanna go back to camp smellin' like sex."
Kagome couldn't control the mild blush that rose to her cheeks at his bluntness, although she did offer him a grin at the sight of his playful expression. An expression that quickly turned predatory. Before she had any time to react, Inuyasha scooped her up and proceeded to deposit the two of them back into the hot spring. Kagome would have been mad had the water been cold, but as it was, she chose to merely snuggle into his embrace.
"What do we do now?" she asked again, and the feel of the sigh escaping his lungs let Kagome know that he knew what she meant.
"We're never gonna see eye to eye on your 'school' thing..." he started, smirking as he added, "...but you already knew that, which is why you left the beads in place."
The way Kagome buried her face a little deeper into the crook of his neck in that moment let Inuyasha know that she knew she'd been busted, but Kagome was also relieved to feel the vibration in his chest that meant he was laughing.
"Just know that I'll be keeping track, and for every time you slam me into the ground, I'll be doin' some slammin' of my own."
"That's hardly incentive to not use the spell." she mumbled into his neck, which only caused him to laugh harder.
Pulling back enough to greet his eyes, Kagome's gaze grew serious for a moment, as she asked him sincerely, "But are we good, with that whole alpha-beta thing?"

Nodding his affirmative, Inuyasha said, "Yeah, we're good...partner." He added the last word deliberately, fully aware of its various meanings, to humans.

"I love you, Inuyasha." she whispered quietly then, knowing his hanyou ears would have no trouble hearing her words, yet hesitant to voice them any louder all the same.
His eyes widened in surprise momentarily, though he was more surprised that she'd actually said it out loud than he was by the confession itself. Gently hooking a clawed finger under her chin, Inuyasha tilted Kagome's gaze upward, until his eyes were once again meeting her own. Caught in his stare, Kagome honestly didn't expect him to repeat her sentiment aloud, though his feelings were crystal clear by the intensity of his gaze. So she was taken completely off guard when he started to speak, first by quietly uttering her name.
"Kagome..." he started, pausing for a long time as though he was trying to find the right words.
"It's okay, Inuyasha, you don't have to say anything."
He looked mildly offended at that, though he offered her another smile all the same. "What, you don't think I can?"
Leaning forward and planting a chaste kiss upon her lips before she could say anything more, the hanyou had his wits about him by the time he pulled back, quickly locking their eyes as he clearly stated, "I love you too, mate."
The rest of their time at the spring was spent in companionable silence, except for the occasional "Here" and "Thanks" exchanged between them as they handed each other articles of clothing and repacked Kagome's backpack. Inuyasha had eagerly taken Kagome up on her earlier offer to assist in his washing, while he'd also just as eagerly returned the favor, so that by the time it was finally time to get dressed, neither of them had possessed any shyness around the other. Their return to camp was also spent in relative silence, but only because Inuyasha had informed Kagome that the others were already asleep, and they both longed to avoid an awkward reunion, if it could at least be postponed until morning.
Said awkward morning was almost guaranteed, however, when Inuyasha insisted upon keeping Kagome with him throughout the night. While the miko would love nothing more than to sleep in her hanyou's embrace, she did not truly feel comfortable going to sleep in the high branches of a tree, and insisted in return that they stay upon the ground. He complied, albeit reluctantly. Inuyasha did not like sleeping on the ground, but it was worth it to keep Kagome in his arms. Jokingly, he whispered in her ear that she did have a valid point, however, because...what if she 'osuwari'd him in her sleep? Before she could protest he pointed out how she'd done it before, which in turn of course meant that he'd just accidentally confessed to being in her room at night while she was sleeping. Kagome forgave him, though, stating how cute he was when he blushed, to which he pointlessly argued that he wasn't blushing, which somehow only made his cheeks grow even darker.
```
Morning was not as awkward as they'd feared it would be, as Kagome and Inuyasha simply decided to get up before any of the others. Well, it was more like Inuyasha had decided that he and Kagome would get up before any of the others, his excuse being that he was hungry, and that she needed to make him some more ramen...damn it. Kagome would question her sanity later as to why, exactly, she'd wanted the old Inuyasha back so badly. But just when she was starting to worry about the genuine significance of last night to certain snowy haired individuals who shall remain nameless, she caught said hanyou's playful stare, as she served up his favorite noodles. Inuyasha took one bite of his ramen, and then proceeded to swallow it very slowly, as though contemplating its flavor. After offering a quick glance around camp to ensure that everyone else was still asleep, he raised his eyes back up to meet the miko's and stated, "Not bad, but it's no longer my favorite."
It was Kagome's turn to blush, then, catching the double meaning in his statement. He could have easily just been talking about kissing her, or...
The smirk in his eyes seemed to say, That's for me to know...
```
Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara all awoke to the delicious smell of cooking rabbit, as they opened their eyes to see a nice fat juicy one turning on a spit over the fire, their beloved miko at the helm while Inuyasha was nowhere in sight.
"Courtesy of our alpha-male." she stated with a smile, as she carefully ripped off a bit of meat to see how much longer it needed to cook.
"Ah," Miroku spoke up then, "I take it then that your talk went according to plan?"
"Not exactly," Kagome hinted, before elaborating with, "But I'm very satisfied with the results."
She offered her human companions another wink, which had a whole different meaning that time around. As Miroku grinned while Sango blushed, Kagome knew they'd both caught on. She was safe from twenty-questions for the time being, as no one wanted to discuss such an adult subject with Shippou present. Well, she'd take that back... The kitsune's presence probably wouldn't stop Miroku, but one glare from Sango had ensured the monk's silence for now. At first Kagome had wondered how to breech the subject with the rest of the 'pack', and Inuyasha had been of little help when his only statement on the subject had been "What's to discuss? It doesn't effect them none." but Kagome knew that the others would eventually find out one way or another, so it was just better to get everything out in the open sooner rather than later.

Inuyasha rematerialized in that moment, having gone scouting ahead to make sure the area was free of rouge youkai. He caught the monk's knowing grin but shrugged it off with a mild glare to mind his own business. Breakfast was business as usual, as he and Shippou fought over the scraps until the runt cried for Kagome. Not really feeling like getting his face slammed into the ground on a full stomach, Inuyasha quickly relented in a manner that was very similar to the 'fish incident' of three nights prior, but any concerns Kagome might have had that he was reverting back into his beta role were instantly eliminated the second he started barking at everyone - including her - to hurry the hell up and get a move on.
Things could never go back to 'normal' between them, but as Kagome caught the way Inuyasha offered her the occasional tender smile or playful wink, she knew that she didn't really want them to.
~ Fin ~
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Alpha-Beta