Hot Oil Prompt
Hi!  So...I havenât written in awhile and I wanted to pick back up so...here goes nothing! Iâm a massive Inuyasha fan and love reading Inufics so I figured I would start there~  I love @mustardyellowsunshine âs writing prompts so this is what I did with their 3rd prompt.  Iâd love to know what yâall think of my little fluffy one shot.  <3  (Plz be kind.  Iâm new to le tumblrzzz.  Iâve just been silently loving the Inu-community for years!)Â
âSo there I was, like, covered in hot oil!â
âHow did you get away without a single burn?â
âOh, well, I suppose itâs wasnât that hot,â Kagome quickly corrected, the two girls walking with their heads together, their laughter floating up into the air and swirling into the evening sky above them. Â âI was so embarrassed! Â I had finally gotten the lead in the school play and what do I do? Sneeze into a candle during the climax of the entire story! Â Oh, I could have died right then and there.â Â Giggling over the memory, the young priestess looped her arm through the taijiyaâs, bumping her hip as they continued along their path. Â
These were the nights she loved most. Â Walking with her friends, the crisp autumn air biting at their cheeks, sharing stories and laughter as they travelled around Feudal Japan. Â Sure the reason for their travel wasnât the most pleasant but in her deepest heart, she had almost forgiven herself for shooting the Sacred Jewel into a thousand pieces all those months ago. Â Yes, it was a terrible accident but look what it had led to! Â Without that single arrow, she would never have gotten to know Sango, the girl she now cherished as a sister.Â
âHot oilâI didnât think you were into that sort of thing, Kagome,â Miroku teased as he walked behind the girls. Â He earned a swift wallop to the back of his head from a clawed hand but he merely chuckled, rubbing at what was quickly becoming a bump. Â âI merely jest Inuyasha!â
âYeah well keep your jests to yourself, pervert.â
A smile quickly found its way across Kagomeâs lips. Â If it werenât for that single arrow, she wouldnât have Miroku in her life, full of jokes (no matter how ill-timed they were.)
She also wouldnât have Inuyasha.
Banishing that thought from her mind, she forced her smile to hide away as she looked over her shoulder at the hanyou. Â âInuyasha, you neednât hit someone every time you disagree with them you know.â Â She was still irritated with him. Â Their group had stopped to rest and have lunch earlier in the day and sheâd decided to use the time to study for her next test. Inuyasha had spent their break whining loudly, expressing his annoyance that they werenât getting farther on their path. Â Theyâd gotten into a heated argument until she finally âsatâ him out of sheer frustration. Honestly, for someone who risked his neck to save the lives of others on a near daily basis, he really wasnât that understanding of a person sometimes. Â
The Hanyou merely turned his nose up in the air at the scolding, folding his arms across his chest and burying his hands in his haori.  He was clearly still irritable too but knew better than to say a word. The twinge in his back was a good enough reminder not to argue any further on a subject that truly wasnât worth it.  Besides, he knew they were going to ask to stop again any minuteâŚand this time, he wouldnât complain.
After all, this was the night he needed to hide away most. Â
Golden eyes looked to the horizon where the sun was nearly set. Â He grit his teeth, jaw tight with anxiety as he watched the sun sinking lower with every minute. Â Heâd been keeping his eyes open for a good shelter as they walked. Â Their village was still half a dayâs walk away. Â Heâd been hoping to make it there before nightfall but knew that heâd been fighting a losing battle as soon as theyâd stopped for lunch. Â
The monk at his side noticed his tension and offered a kind smile. Â Despite the whack to the back of his head, Miroku wasnât angry. Â He knew where Inuyashaâs bad mood stemmed from and could hardly hold it against his friend. Â The night where he grew weakest was upon them. Â Clearing his throat, he spoke up to the rest of the group. Â âI think we should find camp for the night. I believe there is a hot spring nearby. It would be nice to set up there to help ward off the oncoming chill.â
 Inuyasha simply jerked his head in the direction of the nearest spring, guiding his friends on the right path before his senses gave out entirely.  He could already feel them slipping away for the evening and heâd be damned if they werenât set up before he was fully human.  Stalking ahead of the others, he muttered something about grabbing firewood under his breath and took off at a run through the trees.
Kagome watched after him, sighing. Â Sango reached out to her friend, placing a hand on the young mikoâs shoulder and offering a warm smile. Â âYou know heâs just in a foul mood over the new moon. Â Heâll be right as rain in the morning.â Â
The young womanâs grey eyes widened, her lips dropping into a surprised little âoâ. Â Her hand flew up to her heart as if to keep it from stumbling. âR-right.â Â How could she have forgotten? Â She felt like a fool and, more than that, a terrible friend. Â Sheâd been so focused on her tests and her studying that sheâd lost track of the days. Â Turning her gaze to the sky, she frowned when she couldnât find any sight of the moon. Â Sango was rightâthe new moon was here and Inuyasha would soon be taking on his human form.
And they were in the middle of nowhere. Â
She dropped her gaze in shame, staring at her feet as their group followed after itâs Hanyou leader. Guilt hung heavily around her shoulders, causing them to droop. Â If sheâd been paying any attention, all of the signs were there! Â Heâd been extra on edge all day and he hadnât touched a bite of the lunch sheâd set out for them all. Â Heâd been so eager to continue on their path. Â Heâd even made multiple comments about carrying her so that they could cover more ground. Â Sheâd thought he was making fun of her at the time, making some sort of âhumans are weakâ jab but now she knew the truth.
He had just been scared to be human without shelter for the night. Â
It wasnât as if they hadnât done this together before. Â There had been a few nights where Inuyasha had survived the new moon without the shelter of a village surrounding them. Â Those nights had been warmer than this one however. Â Autumn was here. Â She could feel it in the way her toes were cold in her shoes, despite the long walk. Days were growing shorter and nights were stretching longer. Â
No wonder he was scared.
As soon as they arrived near the hot spring, their group sprang into action to set up camp. Shippo and Kirara went to work finding kindling for the fire, Miroku set off to help Inuyasha gather firewood, and Sango and Kagome set about laying out the blankets and sleeping bags that Kagome had brought from her time. Â It wasnât long before Inuyasha and Miroku returned together, the monk holding an armful of wood and the hanyou carrying a rabbit in each hand. Â Dropping their dinner on the ground, he set to work building up a fire, allowing Shippo to light it with his fox fire. Â As soon as the kindling caught, Inuyasha sat beside the flame and began skinning the finds from his hunt. Â
Skinning was much easier with claws and heâd rather get it over with before he changed. Â
Miroku and Sango exchanged a glance, a mutual understanding passing between them. Â Sometimes, when the Hanyou was in this sort of mood, it was best to leave him alone. Â Finding a bright smile, Sango offered her hand to Shippo. Â âI think we could use a nice bath before dinner, donât you? Besides, my clothes are filthy from the fight we encountered yesterday. Â What do you say we do some laundry as well? Â Kagome, want to join us?â Â
The miko shook her head, and sat by the fire instead, opposite the silent silver-haired man. Â âNo, I think Iâll get some more studying done. You go on ahead!â Â Shooing her friend off with a smile, Kagome reached into her back pack and pulled out the book sheâd been studying from earlier, all the while trying to pretend that she didnât see Miroku sneaking off to spy on Sango.
He was certainly a strange monk but, as much as he liked to tease, he truly only had eyes for one woman.
With Kirara curled up at her side, Kagome stretched her legs out and let the fire warm her feet through her shoes. Â Her bare legs were going to be far too cold if this weather kept up. Â Sheâd have to remember some leggings on her next trip home. Perhaps she could bring back some hats and gloves for everyone as well. Â Though, would gloves work for clawed hands?
âDamn.â
The curse barely reached her ears across the fire. Â Grey eyes lifted to watch as golden irises darkened into a rich hazelnut color, the hanyouâs silver hair changing like a page dipped in an inkwell. Â His face was the picture of unhappiness as he tossed the rabbit heâd been skinning aside, his dull nails useless for skinning the creatureâs hide. Â He was clearly miserable and too stubborn to say anything about it. Â
Biting into her lower lip, Kagome set her book aside and reached into her bag. Â Pulling out two short knives that Sango had given her (sheâd been trying to learn more hand to hand combat. Â She was sick of fighting for the sidelines!), she moved until she sat beside her now human companion and offered him one of the knives. Â âTeach me.â
âTeach you what?â He answered skeptically, his brown eyes darting between the knife and her earnest gaze.
Reminding herself to be patient, she smiled.  âTeach me how to skin the rabbit.  I know you normally do this with your claws but I figure that the technique has to be similar, right?  I want to help, Inuyasha.  SoâŚteach me.â
Slowly, he took offered knife and picked up the rabbit heâd been working on again. Â Wordlessly, he got back to work. Â He found it hard to focus on his movements, knowing that her eyes were studying his hands as if he held the answers to one of those âtestsâ she was always taking. Â âWhy do you wanna learn so bad? Â I can do it myself. Â âs just two rabbits,â he complained, feeling awkward under her careful watch.
âI know you can.  Thatâs not the point,â she answered gently.  âThe point is that I want to help.  You help me all the time.  You carry me when Iâm too tired to walk, you hunt to get us all food, you help to find us shelter andâŚand I let you down.â  Her stormy gaze fell to the rabbit in her own lap as she clumsily tried to copy his movements.  Her voice was quiet and full of shame as she admitted, âI forgot about the new moon. If Iâd remembered, we probably would have made it back to the village tonight and you could be in Kaedeâs hut. Iâm sorry Inuyasha.  AndâŚ. Iâm sorry for âsittingâ you earlier.â
His hands stilled on the rabbit as her apology washed over him, clearing his senses and settling warm on his shoulders like a well-loved blanket.  Normally he would have scoffed and blown her off.  Perhaps it was his human heart or perhaps it was simply the nearness of her but instead, he nodded and murmured, ââs okay.  Here, gimme that.  Youâre slow as all hell and Iâm hungry.âÂ
Laughing, Kagome shook her head and held her rabbit further from him. Â âNo way! Â Iâm learning and youâll just have to be patient. Â Just cook yours first!â
âStubborn woman.â
âImpossible man.â
âAt least I didnât sneeze on a candle!â
Her laughter filled the night air, twinkling amongst the stars.  So he had been listening to her story. The knowledge that he was always so keen to pick up details warmed her heart.  Leaning against his shoulder, she smiled, her hands continuing their work. âYouâre rightâyouâve got me beat there.â It was then that she made the mistake of looking up at the man at her side, the sharp edge of the knife biting into her finger.  âOuch!âÂ
Despite his very human appearance, Inuyashaâs reflexes were hardly slowed. Â The knife was out of Kagomeâs hand in an instant, the rabbit dropped on the ground as the hanyou wrapped his own hand around the mikoâs injured finger. Â âSee? This is exactly why I said I could do this myself.â Â Lifting her finger to his lips, he instinctually popped the tip of it into his mouth just as he would do for his own finger if it were injured.
Brown eyes met their match in grey eyes then, the color rising in both of their cheeks as the realization of what he was doing struck the two of them at the same time. Â âI-Inuyasha?â Â Kagome questioned, her voice quivering with confusion. Â
The hanyou blinked back at the miko, half of his mind screaming to remove her finger from his mouth, the other half focused on the task at hand. Â He wound up muttering around her finger, trying to act as if this were a completely natural turn of events. Â âHmm?â
âW-whatâŚ. what are you doing?â
ââŚ. I âunnoâ
âYouâre going to get blood in your mouth.â
And that was the tipping point.  Inuyasha burst into laughter, falling backwards as he did so and freeing Kagomeâs hand from his grasp.  Shaking his head, he smirked.  âReally? Thatâs all you can think of to say? Geez KagomeâŚI donât think a little blood is gonna hurt me, even tonight.  Here, let me take a look.â Â
Sitting up on his haunches once more, he gently grabbed her wrist and inspected her finger for himself. The cut was minor, no longer even bleeding.  Judging her fit enough, he nodded as his decision and sat back down.  âYouâll be fineâŚbut leave the rabbit to me.  Youâre too clumsy for this.  You can help another way.â
Pouting, Kagome sighed and sat beside him once more, leaning her weight against him and drawing her knees up to her chest. Â Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rest her chin on her knees. Â âHow? Â I canât hunt like you. Â I canât help skin the animals you catch. Â Heck, Iâm not even very good at building a fire.â
âYou are good at making Ramen.â
âInuyashaâŚâ
âAnd you brought sleeping things from your time for Miroku and Sango.  And you tell Shippo stories every night so that he sleeps without nightmares.  And youâŚ. you come back every time.â
His voice had dropped to a whisper by the last admonition, earning a confused gaze from the young priestess. Â âWhat do you mean?â
Shrugging, he grabbed a few sticks and began to create a spit for the rabbits to roast on.  âEvery time you go home to your time, you agree to come back and help us find the Jewel Shards.  No one is makinâ you.  I can throw you through the well all I want but I canât force you to help us. BesidesâŚI donât have to.  You help us anyways becauseâŚI donât know.  Because youâre a good person, Kagome.  So, stop thinkinâ that you arenât helpful because you are.âÂ
A smile blossomed on the young womanâs face and, without a second thought, she flung her arms around the Hanyouâs waist, hugging him tightly and burying her face against his shoulder. Â âThank you, Inuyasha. Â Youâre a good person too.â Â Â
Underneath the starry autumn sky, with his cheeks burning from something beyond the heat of the fire, Inuyasha smiled. Â Wrapping his free arm around her waist, he mused on that fact that everything he had was all due to a single arrow. Â He had a pack of sorts. Â He had friends. Â He had a purpose to keep moving forward.
And he had her. Â
It was funny how many times an arrow had changed the path of his life. Â Kikyoâs arrow had bound him to a tree for fifty years and Kagomeâs arrow had bound him to her side. Â
It was only in his human heart that he could admit that he almost didnât mind. Â








