Hindsight

A/N: I'm as happy as a happy person! I got me some reviews! Oh, joy.
Urm...well, now we have a new chapter...
I guess...

ONWARDS!!!

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha. I own Inuyasha. I own Inuyasha...do I own him yet?
No?
Damn, I knew that positive thinking schtick doesn't work...
Oh well.

DAY ONE, ACT 5, Kagome.

Verbal Diarrhea.

Kagome knew, right after she asked her question, that she was an idiot. She had always suspected it, and obvious bits of proof, such as her schoolgirl crush on Inuyasha that seemed completely one-sided, or her naiveté towards Kouga and his flirtations, even her shameless leading-on of Houjo, had her leaning towards absolute certainty. But now, as she looked up at

Sesshomaru, who towered over her, she knew, without any shadow of a doubt, that she was a moron.

Hindsight, that wonderful, totally useless tool, was a helluva thing. Why couldn’t she have her hindsight before she made an idiot out of herself?

Because, truly, while making an idiot of herself was vaguely amusing, moreso to those that she exhibited such tendencies in front of, at times it could be quite annoying. Infuriating, even.

And other times it could be excruciatingly embarrassing.

Now would be a prime example of the latter.

She could tell that she had insulted, amused, confused and irked the very powerful youkai currently looming over her with her six little words. Again, at the time, they seemed entirely reasonable words.

Because, honestly. He was a ridiculously powerful youkai who just happened to hate humans, and he was forever attacking one of her best friends and desperate, secret crush. What was she to think, especially when he was rejuvenated and whole?

‘Maybe you could’ve given him a little credit.’ That annoying, tiny voice retorted.

Not you again.

‘Yeah, me. I pop up whenever you’re talking, or thinking, nonsense.’

Ha. I’m so sure.

‘And no pebble is getting rid of me either.’

Kagome sighed, before picking up the discarded pebble in question and squeezing tightly, imagining smushing the voice into a piece of a grain of sand.

‘See? I’m still here.’ The voice chirped.

Imagine my joy. Kagome thought, deadpan.

She cut off her internal conversation to look up at Sesshomaru through her lashes.

Well, there was nothing to be done but to forge ahead. She was already an idiot. How much worse could it get?

“Well? Are you going to kill me?” she repeated, wincing at just how stupid that sounded.

“Not presently.” He replied emotionlessly, but she could see the incredulity flashing past his eyes before he shut down those, too.

“Oh, God.” She buried her face in her hands, unable to contain the shame.

“I said I was not going to kill you, Miko.” Sesshomaru repeated, a note of confusion seeping through his dispassionate tone.

“I know.” She replied, her voice muffled by her palms.

When he remained silent, obviously waiting for an explanation, she lifted her face from her hands and sighed.

“I’m an idiot, Sesshomaru. That was rude of me. I apologize.” She offered hopefully, peeking up at him.

Sesshomaru remained totally expressionless, but she could somehow tell that he was still a bit miffed.

She reconciled herself to the fact that she was to somehow make amends for her insult.

She rose to her feet, still having to look up at him, and smiled sheepishly.

“Really, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sound quite so…ungrateful.”

He muttered something under his breath that sounded remarkably like: “You mean evil.”

“I really am sorry.” She said softly, looking down at her feet.

They stood in silence for a few moments, until Kagome remembered suddenly that his had been limping, favoring his left leg over his right.

“Um, Sesshomaru, is your leg alright?” she asked hesitantly, gesturing towards his right leg.

“I have my own healing abilities. It will be fine.” He answered.

“That’s good. Um, really good. It’s…good.” She trailed off lamely.

Again, silence surrounded them, and Kagome fished around for something, anything, to say.

“So, what do we do now?” she finally asked meekly.

Sesshomaru stayed silent, so she looked up, to find herself the object of an intense gaze. It wasn’t as if Sesshomaru was eyeing her assiduously, it was just that his look itself was strong.

When he carried on with his silent regard, she shifted and fidgeted, feeling like an errant schoolgirl pinned under the Principal’s eagle glare, when all Sesshomaru was doing was looking at her.

“Well?” she asked, fed up with the squirming.

“What do you propose?” he asked coolly.

“I don’t know. Hence, the whole asking you deal.” She huffed.

“Are you always this temperamental?”

Kagome regarded him in total astonishment.

Hold up, hold up. The Ice Prince is actually venturing a personal comment?

What is this era coming to?????

“I am not temperamental. Why would you say that?” she exclaimed.

“Perhaps because you change your emotional state every three seconds?” he asked dryly.

“I do not! Anyway, what happened to you?” she asked, remembering that he had been alone.

“Court treachery.” Was all he said.

She realized that she should be grateful that he wasn’t still irked, and she should just shut up and be happy. Somehow, she just couldn’t help herself.

She quirked an eyebrow at him and smirked.

Smirked. She smirked.

Right before she laughed.

Oh, gods. Why did she have to be such an idiot?

Still, once she started laughing, she couldn’t seem to stop. She held her arms to her aching stomach and doubled over, laughing.

Whatever was so funny about this was beyond her. She didn’t know why she was laughing. She just laughed.

She sat down, hard, on the grass, and laughed until tears streamed down her face.

She dimly registered that Sesshomaru was staring at her as if she were clinically insane.

Perhaps she was.

She continued to laugh for a few moments more, until her laughs slowly petered away. Still lying on the grass, she looked up at the looming youkai above her, and smiled, then sighed. She turned her gaze away from him to regard the sky, so clear,
blue and untroubled.

So unlike her right now.

She could use some of that sky’s serenity currently, especially as she had no idea what to say or do next. Every time she opened her mouth, something totally inappropriate and exceedingly stupid came flying out. And that was never a good idea when you were around a Taiyoukai known for his impatience with both stupidity and humans.

Instead, she lay, refusing to get up, regarding the unmoving youkai steadily, lips clamped firmly shut.

If anyone were going to speak in this conversation, it would most definitely not be her.

No, sirree.

Her resolution lasted just about as long as all her previous ones.

All of ten seconds.

“So, what are we going to do?” she asked, sounding as though she had not just spent five minutes of her life rolling around in the grass, laughing like a hyena.

“We could always return to our previous animosity.” She offered, when he made no reply.

Sesshomaru’s eyebrow raised, marginally, before his lips curled slightly at the edges.

“I’ll take that as a no. Well, then, I don’t see you making any suggestions. And sit down, please. You’re giving me a neck ache.” She said, rubbing her neck for emphasis.

To her growing surprise, he actually sat, right next to her, too. He drew up one knee, resting his arm on it and letting his hand dangle. Instead of staring straight ahead, which would put her firmly out of his line of vision, he tilted his head to look at her.

“Have you any sensible suggestions?” he asked her.

Kagome rolled her eyes. Sensible, indeed.

“Not at the moment. Sensible isn’t really my thing.” She commented lightly.

“We cannot return to the old hostility. You saved my life. I am indebted to you.” He told her.

“What? No! I didn’t do it so you would owe me.” She exclaimed, eyes wide.

“It is a matter of honour, miko. It is what it is. Not even I can change that.” He told her coolly.

“Oh, damn.” She muttered, noting the way his golden eyes widened faintly at that.

A moment of quiet passed, both thinking rapidly.

“We can’t be all friendly, especially in front of Inuyasha. I really can’t handle a battle between you two, particularly when I know I’ll be the cause.”

“Why would there be a battle?” Sesshomaru asked innocently.

She looked up at his face, and scowled.

“You very well know Inuyasha will pick any reason to fight you. You’re much alike that way.” She said, not caring that she had just likened Sesshomaru to Inuyasha, and just how stupid that was.

“It is not any fault of mine that he seems to enjoy courting death.” Sesshomaru told her blandly.

“It is your fault that you are always provoking him.” She shot back, grinning inwardly.

“I do not provoke him. He just is uncomfortable with his inadequacies, especially in the presence of perfection.” Sesshomaru
countered seriously.

Kagome stared at him, open-mouthed.

Was he really that insightful? Or really that arrogant?

Perhaps it was a bit of both.

Still, his arrogance was exceeded only by his-

She cut herself off furiously, refusing to go there, even in the privacy of her own mind.

“So say you. But that is neither here nor there. We have yet to figure out what we’re going to do.” Kagome acceded grudgingly.

“Perhaps I could assist you in your fight against that ridiculous hanyou, Naraku.” He offered.

She looked at him in amazement.

“Would you really?”

“I do not make idle suggestions, miko.” He said abruptly.

“Sorry, but it’s a bit…surprising. You never seemed to care about my fight.” She explained, noting his disgruntled expression.

“Naraku is a power-mad idiot, foredoomed to failure. I would simply be helping him reach his final destination at an accelerated pace.”

“Well, that sounds perfect. Except, how will Inuyasha react?”

“Loudly, violently, and like the idiot he always is.” Sesshomaru replied dispassionately.

Kagome laughed at that, realizing that it was exactly how Inuyasha would react.

“Would you be traveling with us?” she asked.

“I am the Lord of the Western Lands. Not even for a debt of honour can I forget that. I will come when I can, and when needed most. Nothing more, and nothing less.” He told her sternly.

“That could work. Will you promise me something?”

He sighed, a tiny, quiet sigh, before looking at her with resigned eyes.

“And what would that be?”

“No fighting with Inuyasha. Don’t pick any fights.”

“I shall not pick any fights. I promise.” He said quietly, but something flashed in his eyes as he said it.

She got a sinking feeling that he wasn’t saying something.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to pick any fights. It was the best she could do.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad deal. She got to keep her head, and also a new, if erratic, fighter.

What more could she possibly want?

As her eyes traveled from his face, down to his bare torso, she suddenly decided on another thing she wanted. At that very
moment.

A big, billowy haori. And fast.


A/N: Wootwoot! I'm done here!
I have to go attend a wedding now.
I'll be back, baybees!
NEXT UP: SESSY BABBBBBYYYYYYYY!!!