How Kagome Got Her Groove Back

*One of the reviewers asked if I could possibly e-mail her when I update the story, and I wanted to take this time to mention that I am more than happy to do that, and if you want to be added to an e-mail list of when a new chapter is up, just shoot a quick e-mail to ilikesweatervests@hotmail.com with something Inuyasha related in the subject so I know it’s not junk, or just leave your e-mail in a review, and I’ll be sure to keep you up on the latest. Also, I promise not to flood your inbox with ads for Viagra. (Maybe.) Haha, anyways, thanks for reading, and enjoy!*

Kagome’s heart lodged itself rather inconveniently in her throat as her gaze darted back and forth between his smoldering eyes, flexing claws, and gleaming swords. (While she was hesitant to admit it, she couldn’t deny that her gawking had paused briefly at what she could only imagine to be the demon lord’s rather impressive package, for which she mentally punched herself in the nose.) Under his piercing stare, she felt as vulnerable and pathetic as the unfortunate frogs they were forced to dissect in biology class, and operating on the tiny slip of hope that he hadn’t noticed her yet, she slowly sank her body underwater, pausing as the surface hit right below her nose when her brain finally caught up with the rest of her, kindly pointing out that he was likely very aware of her presence, considering he was looking right at her.

She had to admit that her brain had a rather logical point, and instead chose to be thankful for the fact that the poor lighting nighttime hid her state of undress. Then again, Sesshoumaru had always been one to have all sorts of new weird powers that only the most powerful demon this side of the magic well could dream of having, so Kagome reasoned that he probably had x-ray vision or something, and her modesty was all for nothing. But then again, she reasoned, he would be seeing through more than just the water if he had x-ray vision, and she wasn’t too worried about him catching a scandalous glimpse of her pancreas or something. Following a logical train of thought, Kagome began to wonder whether or not her pancreas could be considered cute, and what kind of attributes would even make a pancreas cute in the first place. Ultimately, she decided that it was likely she had one of the cuter pancreases in her circle of friends before immediately feeling guilty for being so conceited, wondering instead what exactly the pancreas DOES, anyways, and whether it was like an appendix, so it wouldn’t matter if you got it removed—

Her incredibly intelligent inner monologue was interrupted by what sounded like a dry cough, and Kagome, cursing the way her mind worked in terrifying situations, was once again reminded that she was only feet away from one of the most dangerous beings she would ever encounter, and that she was very, very naked.

“Ohhhhh, right,” she thought stupidly, “The guy who could rip out my supposedly cute pancreas without so much the blink of an eye. Must have just slipped my mind.”

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and stood up until the water was once again at her shoulders, and offered a feeble, “Ummmm…..hi…..” She attempted to give him something resembling a non-threatening and inviting smile, but thanks to her nerves, it came out looking rather like she’d just swallowed a mouthful of Naraku’s poisonous bees.

Sesshoumaru was not amused.

“You will come with me. Now.” His voice was deep, and so cold that Kagome wasn’t entirely sure the spring hadn’t frozen around her.

With true Kagome-like eloquence, she just stared at him for a few seconds before weakly responding, “…Ummm, what?”

The Lord of the Western Lands was not one to repeat himself, so his face remained stoic, the only slight indication of anything representing emotions expressed in the tightening of his jaw muscles, and Kagome was relatively sure it was taking all of his resolution not to chomp her head off.

Finding one last speck of bravery somewhere inside of herself, she gathered her wits about her. “Why would you need me to come with you?”

Her inquiry was once again met with silence, and Kagome quickly recognized the spark of annoyance in her stomach as she realized her private bath had been interrupted by someone who meant only to ignore her.

“Alright, then. No, Sesshoumaru. No, if you can’t give me a simple explanation, then I don’t think I’ll be going with you.”

She watched as his expression shifted into an unmistakable frown as he flexed his claws in a threatening manner.

“Girl, I’ve already shown you a great consideration by letting you keep your life, and you will do the same by accompanying me. Now.”

“Oh yes, your bountiful kindness does not go unappreciated, I assure you, but if you don’t mind, I’d still rather try and avoid running into the darkness with someone who hasn’t tried to hide the fact he’d like me a whole lot better ripped in half. Do try and understand.” Kagome realized she’d just done the equivalent of asking Sesshoumaru to please, please jam a sword through her stomach, but inside she was burning, now sure that being a giant ass-clown was entirely genetic.

The demon lord cracked his knuckles and slowly began to step forward, advancing on the young priestess with an unambiguously red gleam in his eyes. Kagome’s heart lurched, and she humbled herself quickly.

“I…um…Lord Sesshoumaru, I apologize. I shouldn’t have spoken like that, but if you would just please tell me what exactly it is you need me for, I’d be happy to help you. Please, I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request.”

Sesshoumaru scowled and halted his advance.

“Do not presume that I would ever be in need of any ‘help’ from you, miko.”

Well, thanks for clearing that up, it’s all so clear to me now, Kagome thought to herself, irked at his stubbornness, and continued to stare at him with a steely gaze.

“You will return to this village before the night is half over, and be confident that you will not come into any harm.”

Kagome sighed. It wasn’t exactly an answer to her question, but she was sure if she pressed it any further, the only answer she’d be getting was a quick stab to the head.

“I’ll come with you.” His fingers relaxed to normal and he let his arm fall to his side. “But, could you turn around, please? So I can get dressed?”

“No.”

Sesshoumaru’s expression reverted back to his normal ‘I’m bored out of my skull’ look, and while Kagome was happy to see the ferocity in his eyes briefly abated, she wasn’t anxious to make him angry again, and so she reached for her towel, careful to ensure she stayed underwater from the chest down, holding it at her shoulders and slowly letting it drop as she rose from the spring, making sure she stayed entirely covered.

Once Kagome had brought the towel down past her all her lady parts, she wrapped it around herself tightly and grabbed her uniform. She unwrapped the towel carefully and held it in her teeth, mindful to keep her eyes on the demon the whole time as she ensured it covered her fully. In a process that can only be described as painstakingly inefficient, she tried to step into her underwear and slide it up her long legs, towel clutched firmly between her teeth and avoiding any quick movements that might cause it to slip and compromise her modesty. Sesshoumaru glared down at her, the rumble of a growl forming deep within his chest.

“Mwell ish not ma fauwt,” Kagome mumbled, towel still firmly in her mouth, “You’re da oneb who woubn’t tuhn awound”

The Lord of the West and rolled his eyes and turned his back to the struggling priestess, and after quickly finishing getting dressed, she grabbed her backpack and jogged around the spring to meet her temporary companion, combing her fingers furiously through her still-wet hair.

“So, where to?” Kagome chirped with the brightest smile she could muster. While she was undoubtedly nervous and mildly annoyed, she couldn’t deny that she was anxious to learn what special task the mysterious and beautiful demon had in store for her.

Sesshoumaru merely scoffed condescendingly and conjured what Kagome could only begin to describe as one of his “magically sparkly balls of magic” and rising with it a few feet into the air and beginning to fly majestically into the forest ahead of them, gesturing for her to follow. Somewhat perplexed, she tentatively took a few steps towards him, and eventually broke into a light jog as he began to travel faster, wondering feverishly where they were going.