Disclaimers: I don’t suppose Takahashi-sama would be
willing to give me Inuyasha, would she?
*crickets chirp*
*Sigh* That’s what I
thought…
Chapter Two
There was approximately one blanket folded
haphazardly in a rotting wooden trunk at the very back of the cave, and it had
clearly seen better days, to put it politely.
Kagome stared at the disintegrating piece of material in her hands and
wondered if it had been used as a puppy’s chew-toy at one point, or maybe as
food for an army of refugee mice, because it clearly could not be described as
an actual blanket anymore. Which was a shame, really, because while she
appreciated the fire, it was not large enough to warm the entire cave (and there
was that pesky draft to contend with), and she really, really wanted to be warm.
Even Miroku’s robe wasn’t enough to do the trick, and short of sleeping
directly on the fire, which would be
hazardous to her health, there was only one other solution that she really, really didn’t want to think about…
Unfortunately, Miroku had no
intention of letting her forget it.
“Really, Kagome-sama, must you be so difficult?” he chided
with amused patience, watching her as she paced like a caged kitten before him. “The blanket is useless, the fire is too
small, it’s cold, and I’m warm. So are
you, for that matter. Is sleeping next
to me really such a troublesome idea?
Two bodies, after all, are much better—”
“Don’t
finish that sentence,” she growled, and he looked up at her through wounded
eyes. She glared back. “I know you!
Y-you’ll use the opportunity to take advantage of me!” she accused. “I’m not that
stupid!”
Miroku kindly decided not to point
out the fact that, because of her being…not
stupid, they were both stuck in a chilly cave in the middle of a blizzard. “If I promise to be good?” he wheedled, then
grinned at the incredulous glance she shot him.
Okay, okay. So even
he didn’t believe that one…
Kagome took the lull in conversation
to release several explosive sneezes, each one harder than the last, then
sniffled pathetically and wiped her nose on Miroku’s sleeve. He eyed it with distaste, his own nose
wrinkling slightly, and she noticed.
“Thad’s whad you ged for making me wear id,” she told him snidely,
still sounding a little stuffy. Miroku
frowned, deciding that enough was enough, and the next time she paced past him
in her pathetic attempts to keep warm, he reached out, grabbed the hem of the
robe, and gave it a hard yank which sent her tumbling back unceremoniously with
a startled yelp…right into his welcoming lap.
“There,” he proclaimed cheerfully,
locking his arms around her waist to keep her with him. “That’s much better.”
“Miroku! I’m gonna kill
you!” she shrieked, attempting to wrest away…or to turn around and strangle
him, neither of which he was about to let her succeed in. She hadn’t even noticed that she’d dropped
her usual honorific…but Miroku did, and the sound of his name…and only his name…falling from her lips
(even if she was threatening his life
at that point) was oddly…pleasing.
“Now, now, Kagome,” he purred
soothingly, taking delight in the way she suddenly stilled at the mention of
her own honorific-less name. “You must
admit that this is much warmer, is it not?
Quite comfortable.”
“You’ve got three seconds to let me
go, or I’m gonna start removing body parts,” she
grumbled. “If Inuyasha was here, you’d
be headless by now.”
He merely grinned, knowing that she was
bluffing (really, the girl couldn’t hurt a fly if she tried), and settled himself against the wall, relinquishing one
hand from his claim to drag his outer robe over and wrap it around his bare
shoulders. “There. Now if we both just sit here quietly and
share body heat we’ll be quite comfortable,” he stated with pleasure. “Shall we play a game?”
“Yes. I’ve got one.
It’s called, ‘
“Kagome!” The exclamation came out on a startled laugh
as Miroku eyed her with a touch of wonder.
He gave her a lascivious wink. “I
had no idea that such a naughty mind resided inside that sweet head of yours!”
She pouted at him. “Only you
would think that was anything…naughty,” she grumbled, then smiled sweetly. “Alright, it’s your turn. How would you
kill yourself?” she questioned innocently.
A slow, disturbingly sensual smile
curled over Miroku’s lips, and her eyes widened as she belatedly realized that
she’d practically handed him the
chance to make a lewd comment. She
wondered if there was still time to take it back...
“Why, dear Kagome, I can think of a
most delightful way to die…fifty times over, in fact,” he began innocently, as
his hand—which had until then been resting innocently on her waist—began to
slide lower to her outer thigh and begin a slow journey inward. “What better way to die than to spend all of
one’s energy continually lost in the throes of pleasure? Plunging in and out of a willing partner
over…and over…and ov—” He was cut off abruptly by a pair of hands
slapping sharply over his mouth with such force that he smacked the back of his
head against the wall. Kagome had
managed to turn herself around so that she was practically straddling him (a
fact that he wasn’t about to point
out to her, lest she remove herself from this most pleasant position
post-haste). Her entire body was
practically glowing with
embarrassment.
“Okay. Game’s over,” the beet-faced girl muttered,
glaring at the wall, the floor, the ceiling, his shoulder…anywhere but his
face. “Frankly, I like my idea much better,” she added
sulkily. Miroku’s eyes crinkled with
merriment, and in another moment, Kagome gave a sudden shriek and jerked her
hands away from his lips, staring at him, open-mouthed. “Y-you licked
me!” she accused, pointing a shaking finger at his face. “That’s so…so…eeewwww! That’s disgusting! I’ve got germs
on my hand!” She scrubbed her palm
frantically against her leg while Miroku pouted at her.
“You’ve picked shards out of
steaming piles of youkai guts without so much as a wince and now you’re
complaining because I accidentally
touched your hand with my tongue?” he sniffed, mortally insulted.
“That
was no accident!” she yelled, poking him in the forehead with a
finger. “That wasn’t a touch, that was a…an outright lick!
Like…like…I got kissed by a dog
or something!”
Miroku smirked. “I believe Inuyasha would be mortally
offended if he heard you say that.”
She blinked, then scowled. “That’s not what I meant,” she muttered. “Besides, Inuyasha wouldn’t kiss like that,
anyway. He’s a person!”
And
what am I then? Chopped eggroll? Miroku thought sulkily. Now he was insulted again, and surprisingly
miffed that Inuyasha had—as always—managed to worm his way into the
conversation when he wasn’t even there. “And how would
you know how Inuyasha kisses?” he questioned with sly innocence, allowing his
indignation free reign. Just a little
bit. “Are you saying that you’ve kissed
him before?”
“What?!”
she yelped. Then, “No! I-I’m not saying that at all! We-we’re not like that!” As
much as she wished it otherwise sometimes. “I-I’m just saying that Inuyasha wouldn’t
lick me like an actual dog! H-he’d kiss
like a man would—at least I’d assume
so—and…and…” She trailed off, aware that
she was somehow digging herself into a ditch, yet having no idea how to climb to safer ground again.
Miroku watched her intently,
relishing the adorably confused, embarrassed, and slightly angry expression
that covered her flushed face. “So…” he
began slowly, thoroughly enjoying himself, “What you’re saying is that Inuyasha
kisses like a man…while I kiss like a
dog?”
“Yes. I mean…No!” She blinked at him, looking spooked. “I never said you kissed like a dog! How would I
know how you kiss? A-and I don’t want to know either, so don’t go getting
any funny ideas!” she added hastily, seeing the smirk on his face. “I just said…you licked my hand…”
“But you did say it was like you got kissed by a dog,” he pointed out
smugly.
“Well…yeah…but…that is…” She blinked and trailed off, looking more
confused than ever. “I-in my time, when a
puppy licks your hand or something, we say it’s giving you a kiss…” Her confusion cleared as a smug smile graced
her lips. “That’s what I was saying,” she finished triumphantly.
“So in other words, I kissed you,
doggie-style,” he proclaimed with perfect seriousness.
“Arrrgh!” Kagome grabbed her hair with both hands and
yanked. “You are impossible!”
He sighed deeply, shaking his head
with a sorrowful expression. “I’m afraid
you’ve gravely wounded my pride,” he told her mournfully. “I feel that I, as a man, must defend my honor, and prove to you
that I do not kiss like a puppy.”
Her eyes widened nearly to the size
of saucers, as she immediately attempted to scramble off his lap and away, but he was much too quick for
her. Before she could even move, one arm
had already snaked around her waist, pulling her firmly against his solid, naked chest, while his other hand cupped
her face and tilted her chin upward with his thumb. “Be calm, Kagome,” he murmured in his deep,
sensual voice, his lidded eyes laughing down into hers. “I promise this won’t hurt a bit.”