The Next Stage:
Hot Springs 2

By Danyealle

(Fan Fiction/Inuyasha)

Chapter 3
Welcome to the Twilight Zone

The next morning Inuyasha slid out of her tent early, hoping that no one would see him leave so there wouldn’t be any questions.  He almost made it.  Miroku saw him exit while he was answering the call of nature.  Of course he passed on the information to Sango when she emerged from her tent.  However, before breakfast was over, even without the hentai monks’ information, they would have known something was up.

Since joining together on their quest Inuyasha had always been protective of Kagome and it was well known to them, and most others that knew them, that they were doing the ‘courting dance’, although Inuyasha sometimes made it look as weird and awkward as the mating dance of the wild wood duck.  Some days they looked as though they were together and others they acted as though they hated each other.  This morning Inuyasha went to the extreme end of courting.  While Kagome was getting dressed, Inuyasha wolfed down his food then grabbed a plate for her.  When she emerged he had her sit between his legs while she ate.  He sat with an arm wrapped around her waist, holding her. 

That was only the start of what the monk eventually dubbed ‘The Day Hell Froze Over’.  As it turned out Inuyasha wouldn’t let her out of his sight for more than a few minutes.  Even though they were in no hurry to get anywhere, they were just trying to find some clues as to where the spider in the dead ape skin was holed up or a lead as to what he might be up to; he carried her the whole time rather than let her walk.  After supper, which was an identical routine to breakfast, he had leapt into a tree with her and sat there holding her while they talked softly.

From both the slayer and the monks’ end, what was strangest wasn’t his behavior but hers.  Normally the little miko from the time yet to come would only take so much of his possessiveness before an argument started or she ‘sat’ him into a crater.  She didn’t do either.  In fact it was obvious she very much liked the attention.

That night things progressed to an even deeper level of strange.  Again, it was another blustery night.  Although it wasn’t raining it looked as though it could cut loose at any time.  Like usual, Kagome had been first to retire once Shippo had been bedded down.  Miroku and Sango retired to her tent to play a card game Kagome had taught them.  They left the flap open to get the light and heat from the fire to them.  About a half an hour after they began playing Inuyasha got up from where he had been perched like a sentinel and let himself into Kagomes’ tent, zipping the flap shut behind him.  Both the slayers’ and monks’ mouths were hanging open.  There was no way he could have missed her open tent flap or either of them sitting up and obviously still wide awake.  If that wasn’t mind bending enough, within a half an hour sounds emerged from the miko’s tent that were obviously sexual in nature… From both Kagome and Inuyasha!

Over the next month things progressed from strange to downright weird.  At one point Kagome had referred to a bizarre situation they had been in as in the Twilight Zone to Sango.  Not understanding the reference the slayer had her explain the phrase. Well, that reference was a perfect description as to what was going on with Inuyasha!  The whole thing had taken on what seemed to be an almost surrealistic bent.  Not only had he progressed to being Mr.  Affectionate but it had actually become more blatant.  Now, if he wasn’t touching her in some manner he became agitated quite quickly.  Most of the time he was holding her hand everywhere they went.  Unlike what most would think Kagome wasn’t the one that started that one, it had been Inuyasha!  Miroku had said that the half-demon had become so lovey-dovey that it was actually cute!  That was something that not only warped the mind but made one slightly nauseated as well.  To even have suggested something like it a couple months ago would have been laughable.

After a week of at least attempting, albeit unsuccessfully, to hide him slipping into her tent at night he gave it over as a bad job and followed her to bed each night.  Not only that, but it was very evident what they were doing, at least to some degree.  While it was readily apparent that they tried to muffle some of the sounds there was no mistaking that what was being heard was sexual in nature.

If that wasn’t evidence enough that they were engaging in some from of the mattress mambo there was plenty of other circumstantial evidence that pointed that direction.  One night, very late, a boar demon had stumbled into their encampment.  Not one of the greatly intelligent beasts or having a jewel shard it had probably been attracted by the fire and the lingering smells of their last meal.  Unlike normal Sango and Miroku had been out of their tents first.  Inuyasha had appeared seconds later, still tying the fastenings of his pants and sans shirt.  Kagome appeared behind him, sleeping pants on backwards and shirt inside out and buttoned wrong.  Both the slayer and monk had grinned at their disheveled appears.  Like most children, Shippo had commented on that and why it took so long for Inuyasha to join them.  Normally those kinds of questions would have led to the hanyou giving the little fox kit a good thumb but it was a blushing Kagome that told him to never mind.

Among the group the relationship with Kagome had softened Inuyasha’s temperament a bit.  He was much more relaxed and not as quick tempered as he used to be.  In fact, he was even much better at keeping his temper with Shippo than he usually was.  Instead of thumping or threatening the kit he let Kagome handle the youngster or out and out refused to let the kit bait him. 

His normal gruff, insensitive manner and speak-before-he- thought mouth had also tamed a bit as well.  Sango had confided to Miroku one night that if she hadn’t known the cause for the change that she would have sworn that Inuyasha was either possessed or an imposter.