#thirsty asks

That caught his attention more fully and he turned to peek over her shoulder. She was holding a round black object, shiny but scuffed. There was a white circle with a black symbol on top. "What the hell is it?" It gave off no discernible scent, no sounds he could hear. Kagome rolled her wrist, flipping it over, and he noticed the bottom was flat.

"It's a magic eight ball." Inuyasha squinted as a triangle appeared in the flat space, words he couldn't decipher at first in bright white.

"Should you be carrying around some magic thing with the jewel shards right there?" he asked, highly skeptical. He thought Kagome knew better than to pick up random – possibly dangerous – items by now.

To his frustration, Kagome started to giggle.

His scowl must have caught her attention, because she smothered it and coughed. She scooted closer to him, her side pressing against his arm. "It's not actually magic, Inuyasha. It's a toy." She explained that it had fluid inside and the triangle was actually a multi-sided block floating around. "The idea is that you ask it a yes or no question and it tells you the future."

"The future?"

Kagome shrugged. "Most of the answers are vague enough aside from yes or no that you can interpret it how you want, really." She showed him how it worked by flipping it right side up and asking if Miroku would ask a woman to bear his child in the village they were staying in. When she rolled it over You may rely on it appeared in the window. "Not really a fair question…"

Both their heads popped up when an indignant screech was followed by a resounding slap.

"Definitely not fair." Inuyasha peered at it more closely. "Try something else."

"Hmmm… Will I make it back in time for my English test next week?" Better not tell you now. "Not promising," Kagome sighed with a wry smile.

The sound of children squabbling rose outside the hut they were borrowing and Kagome rolled her eyes when they heard Shippou's voice ringing above the others. His tone was decidedly haughty and it was clear he was about to get himself into some trouble. The young miko groaned as she rolled to her feet, dropping the eight ball into Inuyasha's startled hands.

"Your turn!"

"Keh." Inuyasha watched her duck out of the doorway, calling for the runt as she went. He rolled the ball between his hands for a moment in thought. It was just a toy, she said, it didn't really predict anything. "Will I ever be a full youkai?" he finally whispered to it. He hesitated before flipping it over quickly. It took a moment for the block to settle in place. Reply hazy, try again. "This stupid thing." But he couldn't help repeating the question… and got the same answer. 

Which made him curious. Was this thing more than it appeared? 

He sniffed it again, turning it over and looking carefully for any sign of tampering. There was nothing. "Will we defeat Naraku?" Signs point to yes. Well! That was some good news! Inuyasha's chest puffed with pride until his ribs twinged and he was reminded of why he was sitting in a strange hut in a strange village, ribs and chest wrapped in gauze. "Keh."

Kagome took good care of him, whether he liked it or not. He shook his head with a smirk. She'd gotten much better at this first aid stuff too. Efficient. Which was sad in a way, because it meant she was doing it more often.

"Will Kagome always be safe?" he murmured to himself. The sphere in his hand felt heavier for a moment. My sources say no the little triangle read. His face fell. "Will Kagome… will she stay with me like she said?" Cannot predict now. Inuyasha fought the very strong urge to hurl the thing across the room. He had to ask one last thing, his curiosity too much to ignore. "D-Does she love me?" he barely breathed aloud.

So focused, he had missed the sound of Kagome's footsteps as she returned to the hut. She was steamed about Shippou's antics and his propensity for mischief. She froze when she realized he was staring at her. Seeing the eight ball still in his hand, her brow furrowed when he still said nothing. "What's wrong?" she asked, dropping to her knees in front of him. Her hands fluttered over his torso to check that he wasn't suddenly bleeding out or something. When there was nothing obviously dire, her gaze went to the ball. She lightly took his wrist and looked at the response still floating there. "It is decidedly so, huh? What did you ask?" Her scent and expression were a mix of curious and concerned. Inuyasha finally took a breath.

"J-Just if we had ramen for dinner. I'm starved." He quickly plopped the ball in her hand and stretched out on the futon. "You want me to rest or not, woman?" he snapped when she kept watching him carefully. Kagome only rolled her eyes at his blustering before getting up to put water on to boil. When her back was turned, humming under her breath as she worked, Inuyasha allowed himself a little smile.