Standard Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all belong to Rumiko Takahashi..

A/N: Ugh. Let this be a lesson to me. LOL. Never EVER write when you're blasted on your birthday. This is completely and totally bizarre, but I've been threatened by PJB, my beloved Futago, Laz, and even Kit that if I didn't post it they'd be after me with everything from sporks to bazookas. *sweatdrop* Sooooo... here it is, but this is just a one-shot, pure humor. *rolls eyes* Mou.. I really am just plain weird.. ^__~

Accident Waiting to Happen



Shippou was starting to question his level of sanity.

He cast a quick look over his shoulder to judge the distance between himself and the enraged hanyou swearing violently and tearing through the foliage behind him. The little kitsune burst through the tree line, panting as he scrambled to reach the girl sitting casually on the lip of the old well beside Sango, "Kagomeeee!!!"

Kagome looked up in mild surprise as Shippo launched himself at her, nearly toppling her back through the well she'd come through a short time ago. Inuyasha caught her arm, yanking her back and momentarily searching her face to make sure she was all right before snarling down at the little kit cowering in her arms.

"Oi, brat, quit fucking hiding behind Kagome and take it like a youkai!" Inuyasha hissed, cracking his claws menacingly.

"Sit," Kagome responded absently, ignoring the violent cursing from the flattened hanyou as she looked down at Shippou. "What happened, Shippou- chan?" she stroked his soft hair gently and smiled.

"He's trying to kill me!" Shippou pointed, hopping to his feet to make his case more dramatic.

"That lying little shit hit me with one of his idiotic illusions while I was trying to sleep!" Inuyasha fumed from down on the ground. "Knocked me out of the goddamn tree!"

Inuyasha's brows arched in surprise when Kagome turned a look of censure down on the little kit, 'The hell? She can't actually be taking my side for once, could she?'

"Shippou-chan," Kagome's voice lowered scoldingly.

Shippou blushed, drooping a little under that look before resolutely turning his biggest, most liquid eyes up to the girl, "I was only having a little fun. I thought he would notice before he fell."

Kagome shook her head, taking Shippou under the arms and lifting him up, "Sit."

"Bitch!!" Inuyasha roared up at her, furious at the undeserved slam to the ground. "What the fuck was that-!?"

"Calm down, Inuyasha," Kagome frowned down at him as she set Shippou on the ground. "Shippou-chan isn't as fast as you so it's only fair he have a head start."

"WHAT?!" Shippou froze, his eyes going huge with fright.

Inuyasha's eyes were almost perfectly round in his shock as he blinked up at her, "Head...start...?"

"Kagome, you can't mean that!!" Shippou grabbed her leg desperately.

She gave him a pat on the head, "You could have hurt him. I'm sorry, Shippou-chan, but Inuyasha's right."

"But-!"

"The spell will wear off soon," she reminded, giving the hanyou a frown.

Shippou looked up at her and then down at Inuyasha before giving a squeak and running off into the woods with a frantic wail. Inuyasha started growling, pushing himself up with every intention of racing off after the child with Kagome's blessing, when she grabbed his hair and gave a tug to get his attention.

"Don't tell me you changed your mind," Inuyasha grumbled, looking up at the frown on her face. "You finally admit I'm right and now you're stopping me?" he sat up, leaning close to glare at her.

Kagome shook her head, letting go of his hair, "Go easy on him, Inuyasha. Just because I think you're right, doesn't mean I think you should beat up Shippou-chan."

Inuyasha rolled to his feet, smirking down at her as he cracked his knuckles, "That's twice you've said I'm right, bitch."

Kagome gave him a dry look, "Don't let it go to your head."

In a completely uncharacteristic motion, Inuyasha reached out and patted her on the head, his arrogant look fully in place, "Keh. You said it twice, that means you're starting to understand you should listen to me."

Kagome was blinking in amazement as he vanished in a blur of red and white along the same path the little kitsune had taken, smacking herself in the head and muttering, "Gods, I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

Sango laughed softly at the younger girl's disgruntled expression, patting her hand comfortingly, "Inuyasha won't really hurt Shippo-chan."

"I meant saying to his face that he was right," she looked at her friend miserably. "He's arrogant enough without me putting my foot in my mouth like that."

"He actually smiled... kinda," Sango shrugged, stroking a hand over Kirara where the little youkai curled in her lap.

A blood-curdling shriek rent the quiet air of the afternoon, jolting both girls out of their distracted musings to sigh in annoyance. Shippou was screaming her name yet again, the sound rushing back and forth out of their range of sight and frequently joined with the sound of splintering wood and loud cursing.

Kagome dropped her head in her hands, turning her back on the sounds and letting her legs dangle down in the well, "Mou... those two are going to destroy the whole forest."

Sango smiled gently and adjusted her own position across from the young miko, "I'm sure Inuyasha will stop before he clears too many trees." When the girl winced at a particularly loud crash, she rolled her eyes and forced a smile, determined to distract her, "So, Kagome-chan, tell me more about this 'school' you go to all the time."

Kagome smiled gratefully and propped her feet up to give herself leverage, bracing her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her hands, "First you have to wake up really REALLY early..."

**

Inuyasha grinned broadly as he slashed at the tree above Shippou's head, making the little kit abruptly change direction and go racing back towards the well. With Kagome actually taking his side over the brat's for once, he was feeling in decidedly good spirits, but appearances had to be kept up after all. He wasn't feeling like beating the shit out of the kitsune like he usually did, but he was having a grand time scaring the daylights out of him and making him think he would. Even the "sits" he'd gotten had been worth this.

Shippou broke through the tree line, panting as he looked back at the particularly evil smirk gracing Inuyasha's face as he ran after him, cracking his knuckles in menacing promise. "Kagome!! I'm gonna die! You have to help me!"

Kagome ignored the wailing determinedly, moving on to tell Sango about going out to lunch with her over-eager, but well meaning girlfriends. Shippou raced to her, leaping on her back and tugging at her uniform frantically, while she pressed on and Sango turned her head to hide a laugh.

She just couldn't help it. It was hilarious to see Shippou practically running in circles around the girl's back, crying about his upcoming demise while Kagome's brow twitched with suppressed irritation. She was trying her hardest to keep up her narration over the cries while Inuyasha came running out of the woods towards Shippou's squirming form.

Shippo turned to look back at Inuyasha, his eyes widening hugely as he saw the hanyou pull back to swing his claws. With a shriek of absolute terror, Shippou leapt off Kagome's back and went racing away even as Inuyasha attacked.

Inuyasha's head turned to follow the kitsune as he casually completed the swipe, changing the direction of his feet to skid to a quick stop and start after the fleeing youkai child. He'd barely taken a step when his ears perked back towards Sango's horrified gasp.

Kagome had felt Shippou leap off her back and let out a sigh of relief.

Then she had felt the rush of wind that swept her hair aside in a high arch.

At least... she had THOUGHT it swept her hair aside...

The first thing that tipped her off was the cool breeze that slipped across the back of her neck.

The next was the rather large hint of several thick lengths of hair sliding down into her lap.

Sango was staring at her, her hand lifted to cover her mouth as he eyes went wide in slowly dawning horror. Kagome could feel her own face go pale as she distractedly lifted her hand to feel what should have been the thick curtain of hair falling down her back. Her hand met the bare skin on the back of her neck and she slowly ran the hand up until she found the uneven ends well above her collar.

Inuyasha had just cut off her hair.

Inuyasha spun around at the sound from Sango, his eyes going first to Kagome to make sure she hadn't been hurt before going to the stunned expression on the exterminator's face. Confused at what was wrong, he had just opened his mouth to question, when what he was seeing actually connected in his mind.

His eyes went wide and he stumbled back a step as Kagome turned slightly on the lip of the well to stare down at the innocent pile of glossy black hair that had up until a moment ago been attached to her head.

"Oh fuck me..." Inuyasha whispered, looking down at his claws to see a few of the strands entwined in his fingers. "Kagome-?" he took a hesitant step towards the girl, Shippou completely forgotten as she looked over her shoulder.

Kagome seemed to be in shock, the look on her face one of complete bewilderment as she reached down and took a fistful of her hair in her shaking hand. The other lifted again to touch what was left, as she looked at him with an expression so devoid of any real reaction that his heart was pounding in his chest.

'Is she mad? Hell, of course she is! What girl wouldn't be, you idiot!' his mind screeched at him as his eyes searched hers for a hint of what she was feeling. His ears were drooping miserably as he clenched and unclenched his hands, hoping for something... some kind of reaction from the silent girl. Even Shippou had gone silent when he turned to see what was going on and noted the cause for his sudden reprieve. It was like everything around them was holding their breath in the tense, pregnant silence.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango reached out to the girl, just as worried as Inuyasha at Kagome's continued silence.

Kagome's wide eyes shifted briefly to Sango before they returned to the hair in her fist and back to Inuyasha. The hanyou was looking at her with more emotion than she'd ever seen him display, everything from shock to horror and miserable concern.

For once, the apology was instantaneous and heart-felt, "Kagome... Kagome, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was an accident...!"

He trailed off when she stayed silent, the look in her eyes never changing and making his heart sink in panic. He'd really done it this time and he hadn't even meant to do anything! He'd never felt so bad for anything since he'd met her, and for once he was wishing she would sit him into oblivion. Maybe that would help her forgive him?

Inuyasha took several quick steps close to her, fisting his hands at his sides, "Say something, Kagome. Call me names, sit me, do something! Please?"

Sango's brows had climbed sharply at Inuyasha's nearly desperate insistence, startled that Inuyasha seemed so... well, passionate in his attempts to get Kagome to snap out of her shock. Almost against her will, she had to admit she felt a little bad at how guilty the hanyou seemed to feel. Unfortunately, Kagome didn't seem to be listening to anything.

Kagome finally bit her lip, blinking as she looked away from Inuyasha to focus on Sango, "I... I think I need to go home for a little bit..."

Sango couldn't hide her worry, but she nodded, "Of course, Kagome-chan."

Kagome cast one more blank look over her shoulder at Inuyasha before she pushed off the edge and vanished down into the darkness of the well. The bright flash of magic illuminated the bottom for a brief moment and then nothing.

Shippou had hopped to the pile of hair, poking at it for a moment before he looked up at Inuyasha with wide eyes, "Wow... You really fucked up this time, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha just stared down at the well, his eyes sad, "She... didn't even sit me..."

And he regretted that more than he ever thought possible.

**

Souta was grinning when Kagome returned with their mother, bouncing up and down eagerly as he tried to pull off the cap she was using to hide her hair, "C'mon, Nee-chan, it can't be that bad! Let me see it!"

Kagome blushed, reaching up to take off her hat and let her most critical audience give his appraisal. Souta played up his reaction, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he tilted his head and made a motion with his hand for her to turn her head and then in a circle.

Impatiently, she set her hands on her hips and scowled down at him, "Well?"

Souta finally gave her a huge smile and nodded, "I like it! It almost looks like mine!"

"Why you little-!" Kagome made a grab for her brother as he started laughing his head off and went running. "Come back here, you brat!"

She chased him around the living room for ten minutes before tackling him to the ground and tickling him until tears were rolling down his cheeks and he was pleading with her to stop. Finally satisfied with her revenge, she pushed off him and sat back, panting lightly from the exertion as she reached up to self-consciously touch the hair that didn't quite reach her chin, "Does it really look okay?"

Souta smiled affectionately and sat up to pat her arm reassuringly. Any other time he might have teased her, but he'd been the first one to see her come through the well with that stunned, almost desolate expression and holding the cut hair in front of her. This time, Kagome needed him to cheer her up, "I think you look great, Nee-chan. It makes your eyes look really big, but in a good way."

Kagome smiled at him, reaching out to ruffle his hair, "Thanks, Souta..."

"Oh yeah, Inuyasha-nii-chan stopped by while you were out," he piped up, sitting back casually to talk about his hero. "He brought your bag, but he looked... he looked really upset," he opened his eyes to frown at his sister, trying to gauge her reaction by her expression.

'Upset? He let Souta see that he was upset?' Kagome frowned slightly, curiously asking, "Did he say anything?"

Souta nodded slowly, "He said to tell you he was sorry and he hoped you return soon."

Kagome shook her head and sat back in amazement, 'Now that just isn't Inuyasha... Does he really feel that guilty?' She reached into the pocket of her jacket, touching the thick braid the woman at the salon had made of the hair she'd been holding. She let out a heavy sigh, "I should go back."

Her little brother gave her skirt a tug, looking at her with a serious expression, "I think you should make up with him. It was really weird seeing him like that."

She chuckled slightly, letting out a heavy sigh as she rose to her feet and continued to toy with her shortened hair, "We'll see. Do me a favor and pack up some ramen. I'm going to shower and get changed."

Souta grinned, "You bet!"

**

Inuyasha sat at the edge of the grove, staring at the well and willing Kagome to come back. His brows lowered in self-disgust, 'Hell, I may as well start wishing she'll come back smiling if I'm hoping for impossible things.' He growled, glaring down at the kitsune sitting at his side, "This is part your fault too."

Shippou gave him a haughty sniff, scratching his ear with his hind foot, "I'm not the idiot who hacked off her hair."

Inuyasha grabbed him by the tail and hoisted him up, shaking him angrily, "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't jumped on her back when you knew I was chasing you!"

"It wouldn't have happened if you weren't chasing me in the first place!" Shippou snapped back. "Or if you were smart enough to watch where you were aiming!"

The hanyou snarled in frustration, throwing Shippou as hard as he could as he jumped to his feet, "Shut UP, dammit!"

Shippou righted himself on the tree branch he'd crashed into, rubbing his head as he watched Inuyasha go leaping off into the trees and grumbling, "Jerk!" He sat down with a huff, his face drooping sadly as he stared down at the well in much the same way Inuyasha had been doing before. He'd been putting on his best act with the hanyou, trying to cover his own guilt over what had happened.

If he hadn't jumped on Kagome, Inuyasha wouldn't have gone near her, and she never would have had her hair cut off. He sniffled, hopping down from the tree and hopped across the grove to scale the well and peer down at the dark bottom. He looked skyward and bit his lips, promising to any gods listening that if Kagome came back he'd be on his absolute best behavior from now on. 'I'll even try to be nice to Inuyasha!' he winced as he thought it.

The bottom of the well glowed faintly, drawing a startled gasp from the kitsune as he leaned so far over it was a wonder he didn't go tumbling down into the well himself. Sure enough, the familiar figure faded into existence a moment later and in pure reflex, Shippou went streaking down the sides of the well, "KAGOME!!!"

Kagome nearly fell over backwards from the force of the shaking ball of russet fur that came crashing into her chest, stumbling and just barely catching herself against the stone walls of the well, "Shippou-chan?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" he clenched his fists in her shirt and looked up at her with watery eyes. "It's all my fault!"

Kagome shook her head, sighing as she patted the kit on the head and looked up, "It was an accident."

Shippou gaped at her, holding tight as she grabbed the vines lining the walls of the well and started pulling them up the sides, "You're not... you're not mad?"

She huffed as she somehow managed to toss her back over the edge of the well and then haul them both up into the dying evening light, "I'll get over it."

The kitsune hopped down, staring at her silently before he decided to climb back to her shoulder and perch first on one side and then the other. He reached out tentatively to touch the drastically shortened hair and then leaned around to give her a shy smile, "You look pretty."

Kagome gave him a dazzling smile, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, "Charmer."

Shippou puffed up happily, the floodgates to his thoughts broken in a heartbeat as he started chattering about anything and everything that had happened in the time since she'd left. Kagome only listened with half an ear, fingering her hair as she walked the familiar path to the village. She knew Shippou's chattering had already alerted the occupants of Kaede's hut when the flap parted to reveal a worried looking Sango.

"Kagome-chan?" she frowned when the younger girl paused before moving forward the last few steps to bring her to the door. "Are you all right?"

Kagome shook her head with a rueful smile, sliding the heavy bag off her shoulders, "Mou... it was only hair, Sango-chan. I'm just fine."

Sango let out a sigh of relief while Miroku rose to his feet with trademark "charming" smile and walked forward to take Kagome's hands, "Ah, Kagome- sama, Sango told me what happened to you, but you look just as lovely as ever."

Sango's brow twitched and she casually brought the Hiraikotsu down on his head when he released one hand to pat the curve of the miko's backside. "What that lecher means is that it suits you, Kagome-chan. You look... more mature."

Kagome smiled, again giving into her new nervous habit of touching the shorter hair and blushing, "Arigatou." She urged Shippou down and let her gaze sweep around the hut, brows furrowed in confusion, "Where's Inuyasha?"

Sango looked surprised, "He's been at the well since you left."

Shippou nodded in agreement, "He just barely left when you came. I don't know where he went."

Kagome's lips quirked in a half smile and she nodded, "I need to talk to him. I'll be back in a little bit."

Miroku caught Shippou when the kitsune tried to follow, shaking his head as Kagome left the hut, "Shippou, let the two of them work this out."

Shippou pouted, but sighed and sat down, watching the doorway for her return.

Kagome made her way straight to the God Tree, looking up to the branch she knew would hold the hanyou's silhouetted form. He looked deep in thought as the sun sank below the horizon, his profile bathed in the pink and gold light as she watched the brooding sadness chase across his face. Her hand went into her pocket again, touching the braid in her pocket as she walked silently to sit against the base of the old tree.

She knew Inuyasha was aware of her presence, and waited patiently for him to come to grips with whatever kept him silent. The breeze toyed playfully with her hair as she sat, thinking over what she'd heard from Souta, Shippou, and Sango about Inuyasha's behavior. Not to mention what she had seen with her own eyes, and what he'd said right after it had happened.

He was guilty. Everything about him suggested he was already beating himself over the head worse than she ever could, upset enough that he'd openly shown his emotions and even tried to get her to insult him or subdue him.

A soft smile touched her face and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. It really was just an accident...

"Oi."

The quiet murmur opened her eyes, and she stared at the golden eyes a short distance from her own. He was watching her nervously, crouched just far enough that they weren't touching; his ears flattened back as he studied her face.

"You came back..." he trailed off, his hands hidden in his sleeves as his gaze slid away from hers to drop to the ground.

Kagome shook her head, "Souta was right. It's really weird seeing you act like this."

Inuyasha's head snapped up at her tone, his eyes spearing hers with a hopeful sort of inquiry that really got her heart melting, "You... why aren't you angry?"

She sighed and leaned forward to very gently brush his bangs out of his eyes, "It was an accident, Inuyasha. It isn't like you hurt me or anything."

"Keh, how clumsy do you think I am?" he leaned back on his haunches and snorted, averting his face in an effort to hide the blush on his cheeks. To his annoyance, his heart was yet again racing in his chest, 'She's not mad at me?'

Kagome giggled, touching her hair, "That's a little better."

Inuyasha's blush darkened and he hunched his shoulders before sneaking a quick glance at her face. She'd apparently gotten the edges of her hair fixed so that it was all a uniform length while she was in her world, and he tried to unobtrusively study the way it changed her appearance. Her eyes stood out much more, and strangely enough, it made her look older even as it gave her an almost vulnerable look. That was made more obvious by the way she hunched her shoulders and continued to self-consciously touch the hair framing her face.

Oddly enough, it made her look even less like Kikyou in his mind.

He couldn't help himself from reaching out to stroke the wind tossed hair out of her face, his eyes gleaming with regret, "I am sorry, Kagome. But... you know it... doesn't look half bad..."

Kagome gave him a smile that made his eyes widen, "That's the best compliment I've ever heard, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blushed and rose to his feet, trying without much success to put his usual arrogant scowl back on his face, "Keh!"

She reached out to take his hand, at the same moment pressing something into his palm and then using both hands to fold his fingers closed over the object she'd just given him. Patting his hand once more, she released him and flashed him yet another soft smile, "Arigatou." She stepped back, turning away from him and looking up at the darkness slowly swallowing the vivid colors of the sunset, "We should get an early start in the morning. I'll see you back at Kaede's hut."

Inuyasha stared down at what she'd given him in surprise, looking from it to her back before clenching his hand around it and calling out, "Oi... Kagome... Does this mean you forgive me?"

Kagome looked over her shoulder, "You have to ask me that? You're my friend, Inuyasha, my... best friend. It was an accident, and you've apologized."

His ears flattened and flicked forward before flattening again, "Kagome..."

"I'll always come back to you... Inuyasha," she murmured, remembering the first thing that he had said when he came down. It was almost too quiet for the hanyou to hear as she turned away again and continued down the path back to the village.

Inuyasha blinked after, a small smile tugging at his mouth as a huge weight lifted off his chest and he took a quick hop after her to fall in step just behind her. He stared down at his hand, giving her a glance to make sure she wasn't looking before he lifted the thick braid and lightly stroked his thumb over it. 'She forgave me... and she said I'm her best friend,' his eyes warmed as they moved over the now visible curve of her neck.

Funny how he'd never noticed just how graceful that actually was, he mused distractedly.

Inuyasha tucked the braid securely under his haori and lengthened his stride to walk beside her, brushing his hand against hers and halfway hoping Kagome would grab his hand the way she'd done before. Almost as though she'd heard the thought, she shyly reached out and caught his fingers with a faint blush to her cheeks, keeping her eyes on the path ahead.

Inuyasha smiled, watching her out of the corner of his eye as he squeezed her hand back and let her lead him into the village.