InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All of Me ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

Chapter 5

 

Inuyasha locked eyes with the girl who dominated most of his thoughts. Those thoughts centered mainly on getting said girl to kiss him before time ran out. And so far he wasn't making much progress, considering he hadn't talked to her once in human form since that night. She was usually inside by dark and he wasn't quite desperate or stupid enough to knock on her front door. He had insulted her more than once and had a sneaking suspicion that her first instinct on seeing him again would be to throw something hard or sharp at him.

 

I should have known. Inuyasha ground his teeth and cursed himself for listening to any dating plan his best friend suggested. Miroku had refused to explain anything beyond that Sango wouldn't go out with him unless he provided a date for her friend. Being a little bit curious, but mostly bored, he decided to just go along with whatever get-the-girl scheme Miroku had come up with this time.

 

Without a single word to her, he pivoted to face the lecherous monk.

 

"No fucking way!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome narrowed her eyes and huffed in annoyance. Miroku cast her an apologetic glance.

 

"She's a nice girl, Inuyasha." Miroku planted the butt of his staff firmly on the ground and tried to radiate calm. But even Sango and Kagome could hear the wheedling tone in his voice.

 

"I don't care if she's a damn saint! I am going to deal with this my way!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, signaling an end to the argument.

 

Almost against his will, he kept a watch on Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She didn't look happy. Sango was frantically whispering something to her -- probably trying to keep her from just turning around and heading for home.

 

Miroku startled his friend by abruptly stepping forward and yanking Inuyasha toward him. "Time is slipping away," The monk hissed into Inuyasha's ear. "If you want to solve your little problem, then you are going to have to try things my way."

 

Inuyasha let his eyes linger on Kagome's irritated form. She did look mighty cute in that short green skirt and white sweater. This might not be too bad. He gritted his teeth and jerked his gaze away from appreciating the girl's body. Those types of thoughts would just lead to trouble. It's not like he was going to stick around after the curse was broken.

 

With a grunt of acknowledgement, he straightened and tried to plaster a pleasant expression on his face. Kagome, watching the interaction, just wondered if Inuyasha was about to be sick.

 

"Shall we go?" Miroku inquired.

 

"Go where?" Sango demanded suspiciously. "I thought we were going to play games at the arcade."

 

"Changed my mind. I'm hungry, so I thought we'd grab a bite to eat and then work off all that food by going for a walk."

 

Sango and Kagome exchanged dubious glances. Kagome shrugged slightly. Miroku might be a little too free with where he placed his hands and Inuyasha was just plain bad-tempered, but Kagome had a strong feeling that they could be trusted.

 

"I think there's a ramen stand a few blocks that way." Miroku pointed down the sidewalk with his staff. "Ramen is Inuyasha's favorite food," He confided in a loud whisper.

 

Shooting a warning glare at Miroku, Sango started walking in the direction indicated. Kagome lagged behind as she bent down to rub at a scuff mark on her shoe. Miroku caught Inuyasha's attention and jerked his head at Kagome. He waited for Inuyasha's reluctant nod before hurrying after Sango.

 

Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha waiting beside her, none to patiently.

 

"What are you still doing here?" she asked in some surprise.

 

"What does it look like?" Inuyasha barked back. "I'm waiting for you so we can get moving!"

 

"You didn't have to! I'm perfectly capable of walking a couple of blocks by myself!"

 

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and mentally counted to ten before he said something that would really get him in trouble. Dealing with women had never been easy for him, but this one had him snapping at her with every other sentence. Couldn't his last hope have managed to be a little less irritating?

 

He bit back several less than flattering replies. "Fine!" It took several steps before he realized that she was not following. He turned to see Kagome still standing where he left her. "What are you waiting for, bitch? That ramen's not getting to my stomach any faster!"

 

Kagome glared before stomping down the sidewalk. Inuyasha fell in beside her, adjusting his stride to hers. Several steps passed without either one saying anything. Inuyasha watched as Kagome's shoulders relaxed and her body became less stiff. At least she no longer looked quite so angry with him.

 

Furrowing his brow, Inuyasha tried to remember Miroku's instructions. How was he supposed to get the girl interested in him? Or at least interested enough to want to kiss him? Miroku had a sure-fire plan that he was rather proud of. Of course, Miroku usually ended up getting slapped. He insisted that it was because he kept getting impatient and skipping vital steps.

 

“I'm sure that groping a girl's ass is part of the plan,” Inuyasha had sarcastically commented.

 

“I admit that touching of that nature is one of the last steps,” Miroku had agreed. “But I fear that my hands have a mind of their own and are not interested in following the plan.”

 

The first step was to introduce yourself. Already done. Now, what was the next step? He glanced ahead to where Miroku was trying to engage Sango in conversation. That was it! Talk to the girl! Show her that you're interested in what she has to say.

 

"Why don't you like your dog?" Inuyasha internally winced. Real smooth. Well, maybe she would take him for an animal lover. Girls were suckers for guys who liked animals. "I mean, you didn't sound too fond of him that night you almost became road pizza."

 

Kagome shot him an annoyed glance. "God, what is with you and that stupid truck? I already thanked you for saving my pathetic little life. Drop it!" Just when she was beginning to think that he wasn't all bad, he had to go and open his mouth. "Demon's okay, I guess."

 

"You guess? What exactly is wrong with him?"

 

"Besides being stubborn, smelly, and just plain weird?" A hint of malicious humor glinted in Kagome's eyes. "He reminds me a lot of you. Are you sure he's not your long lost brother?"

 

Inuyasha's heart almost stopped at those words. There was no way in heaven or hell that she could have guessed! Still, her innocent remark cut way too close to the truth. As much as Kagome hated him as both human and dog, she would not let Demon remain in her house if she knew they were the same.

 

He had to gain her trust first. And a part of the rules for his curse that he had discovered several years back was that he was not allowed to tell anyone of his condition. He was physically unable to explain the curse to someone who didn't already know about it. Accidental discovery was okay, though.

 

Inuyasha almost growled at her response. It took great effort not to. The dog instincts took several hours to wear off each night after he turned human. Growling and showing his teeth were beginning to feel natural. "Very funny, bitch! Can't you answer a simple question?"

 

Kagome sighed. "If you must know, I had a bad experience with a dog when I was little." She gave him a sideways glance as if expecting some kind of derogatory comment. Inuyasha tried to look interested. "I was about five years old and very trusting. I didn't have very much experience with dogs, but the ones on TV always seemed so friendly. There was a big stray dog sniffing around our yard one morning. I walked up to him and grabbed his tail. The dog turned around and bit me. I still have the scar."

 

"Can you blame him? The tail is very sensitive!" Inuyasha's brain registered the words after it was already too late. Thinking furiously, he tried to come up with something to cover his lapse.

 

"I suppose you have personal experience with tails," Kagome responded sarcastically. "If it wasn't for the fact that Souta likes the little monster, I would never have let him stay even one night." Inuyasha heaved a purely internal sigh of relief. Kagome wasn't taking the tail remark seriously. Of course, he didn't like being called a monster, but his relief outweighed his annoyance for the moment.

 

"We're here," Miroku called out cheerfully.

 

Inuyasha looked up in surprise. He had been so busy talking with Kagome that he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going.

 

"Finally!" Kagome darted past him to link arms with Sango. "Let's find a table while the boys order."

 

"I am not your personal fucking slave, bitch!" Inuyasha shouted after them.

 

Miroku laid a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Calm down. Showing a girl that you are willing to wait on her will help you earn her affection and trust. That will lead to kissing. And that will break the curse and then we can stop buying you flea collars."

 

"I don't have fleas," Inuyasha grumbled, but followed his best friend to the counter. Order for her, huh? A smirk twisted his lips. He wondered if she liked hot and spicy.

 

^**^

 

"That was wonderful!" Miroku smiled and patted his full stomach.

 

"Yeah," Kagome agreed. "How did you know that hot and spicy is my favorite kind, Inuyasha?"

 

Inuyasha grumbled and slouched down the sidewalk, hands shoved into his pockets.

 

"Ignore him," Miroku advised. "He's just in a bad mood. Why don't we take a quick stroll through the park?"

 

"He doesn't seem to have any other moods," Sango observed, following Miroku into the park with the others close behind her. The meal had lulled her suspicions. They seemed like nice guys. And she was confident that she could take care of any trouble easily.

 

Inuyasha scowled at the asphalt beneath his feet. Anyone would be in a bad mood if they were in his position. They came to a place where the trail divided and he remembered another part of Miroku's plan.

 

Kagome squeaked when Inuyasha grabbed her wrist, dragging her in the other direction and away from Miroku and Sango. The small noise she made attracted Sango's attention.

 

"Kagome?" Sango looked over her shoulder to see Kagome and Inuyasha disappearing into the trees. "Where are you going?" She stopped and would have followed if Miroku hadn't placed his staff in front of her.

 

"They'll be okay." Miroku grinned his most charming grin. "They just need some time to get to know one another. And this will give us a chance to talk -- just talk -- and become better acquainted."

 

Sango eyed him warily. "As long as this doesn't involve your hands becoming better acquainted with my ass."

 

"You wound me, lovely Sango." Miroku managed to look offended. "To think that I would even consider--"

 

"You would," she said flatly.

 

Miroku rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Well then, how about we just talk? What do you want to know about me?"

 

Resuming their stroll, Sango considered the question. "How long have you known Inuyasha?"

 

"All my life," Miroku answered promptly. "Don't be fooled by his prickly personality. He can be very, uh... one time he even... no, that was someone else... what I mean to say is he's... well... he's very loyal."

 

"You make him sound like a faithful pet. Like he's a dog or something."

 

"No, no," Miroku was quick to object. "He's not dog! He may be different, but he's all human. Most of the time," he added under his breath.

 

"O-kay. If you say so. What about you? Why did you decide to become a monk?"

 

Miroku shrugged. "My grandfather was a monk. And so was my father. It kind of runs in the family. And this way we'll be prepared. Lechery runs in the family, too." He grinned. "You should hear the stories Inuyasha tel-- I mean, Inuyasha's grandfather told about my grandfather Mushin."

 

A springy pine branch stretched across the path in front of them. There was a brief tussle as they fought over who was going to push it out of the way. Sango ducked under the branch and let go. Not anticipating this, Miroku got a face full of needles.

 

"What do you need to be prepared for?" she asked, trying not to laugh as Miroku picked pine needles out of his hair.

 

"Oh, you know, um, stuff," Miroku replied evasively. "A monk is always prepared. What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

 

Sango stopped laughing and her expression became guarded. "One. A younger brother."

 

"When do I get to meet him?"

 

"You don't."

 

Noticing the sudden rigid set to her shoulders, Miroku guessed that there were some painful memories there. "What happened?" He pressed gently.

 

"They said it was accidental." Sango's eyes were unfocused and she didn't seem to realize he was still there. "That the wiring was faulty. But it wasn't! Everything was up to code!"

 

Miroku nearly bit his tongue to keep from interrupting. Part of him wanted to tell her that she didn't have to continue if it was painful for her. A larger part of him was on fire with curiosity. What happened in Sango's past? And the small seldom-used enlightened part of him felt that the memory had been repressed for too long and it would do her good to get it out.

 

"I know that the fire was deliberate," Sango continued, almost as if she was speaking to herself. "No one keeps watch during the annual gathering. Everyone was present, down to the youngest child. No one survived." She stopped, shaking her head ruefully. "Except for me. And Kohaku. Everyone tells me that he is dead. But his body was never found. I know in my heart that my little brother is alive! And the one who murdered my family and stole my brother from me will pay!"

 

"Who?" Miroku breathed, afraid of asking too loudly and snapping her out of her trance. Who could be responsible for reducing the lovely and capable Sango to an emotional wreck?

 

"Naraku."

 

"What?" Miroku yelped, startling several birds into crossly protesting the interruption of their sleep. "Are you sure?"

 

Sango frowned in an annoyed sort of way, focusing all of her attention on him. "Of course I'm sure. My family has been dealing with Naraku and those who came before him for a long time. Do you know of him?"

 

"Let's just say that Inuyasha and I have crossed paths with Naraku a time or two and the experience was not mutually gratifying." Sango's words shook Miroku deeper than he wanted to admit. Just what could Naraku have wanted from Sango's family that he would go to such lengths to destroy them? "Did you ever find out what he wanted?" Miroku ventured hesitantly. Maybe he could learn something useful.

 

"He wanted information," Sango admitted reluctantly. "Of a rare jewel that used to be in our keeping."

 

Miroku stiffened slightly. Could it be? For generations, there had been only one jewel that the members of the black spider gang were interested in. Deliberately, he tried to relax and look only mildly interested. "It must be worth a lot." Miroku swallowed and forced the next question past suddenly dry lips. "Is it a diamond?"

 

"No, nothing like that. As far as I know, it's a one-of-a-kind. The jewel's been missing for almost fifty years, but I guess he thought that we might know where it is located. We don't know what happened to it and, even if we did, Father would never tell anything to someone such as Naraku. That bastard didn't take kindly to being refused." Sango gave a bark of laughter that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "I've spent my entire life training and studying all that is known about the jewel. In the wrong hands it could be quite dangerous."

 

Please, no. Oh, kami, let me be wrong. "Did this one-of-a-kind jewel have a name?"

 

"Father called it the Shikon no Tama."

 

^**^

Too surprised to resist at first, Kagome let Inuyasha drag her away from Miroku and Sango. By the time she decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to be alone in a semi-deserted park with a guy she didn't know very well, the others were out of sight.

 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kagome dug in her heels and jerked her wrist out of Inuyasha's grasp.

 

"Nothing!" Inuyasha snapped back defensively. "Miroku said--"

 

"So, this is all Miroku's idea." Kagome fumed for a moment. She should have expected something like this from the perverted monk. And after she had insisted that Sango not be alone with him.

 

Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the back of her sweater when she would have marched back to find the other couple. She squirmed but he was much stronger than she was.

 

"Let me go, jerk!" Kagome tried to kick him and lost her balance. Inuyasha immediately released his hold on her sweater to grab her arms instead, turning her to face him.

 

"Calm down, bitch!" His fingers flexed around her upper arms as if he was fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. "They'll be fine. Miroku may be a pervert, but he would never deliberately hurt a woman."

 

Kagome stopped struggling and just glared at him for a few minutes. Inuyasha's angry golden gaze met hers without flinching. He shifted his grip to something less likely to bruise the flesh, but didn't let go.

 

Slowly, the two began to notice how close they were standing and how Inuyasha's hold on Kagome's arms was beginning to resemble something more intimate. The young man's eyes softened with puzzlement as conflicting emotions flickered across Kagome's face. Inuyasha felt the strongest urge right then to protect this girl from anything that might dim the innocence in her eyes.

 

An owl called directly overhead. Instantly they sprang apart, regaining the much-needed personal space plus several feet more.

 

"Maybe we should keep walking?" Kagome carefully brushed non- existent dirt off of her skirt, avoiding Inuyasha's eyes.

 

"Sure," Inuyasha agreed, intently studying the pattern of pine needles at his feet. "The path rejoins about a mile that way." He gestured vaguely with one hand. "We can meet up with the others there." Still without looking directly at Kagome, he started walking. Kagome uttered an annoyed exclamation and scurried after him.

 

"You seem to know a lot about this park?" she ventured after the strained silence become too uncomfortable to bear.

 

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted. "I know everything about this city!"

 

"Did you grow up around here?" Kagome caught a flash as Inuyasha smirked at her. How weird. His eyes glowed almost like Buyo's did at night when they caught the moonlight or a flashlight was aimed at him.

 

"You could say that." Inuyasha tilted his head back to catch sight of the moon as it emerged from behind a cloud. The wretched thing was approaching its fullest point. It would be weeks before it dwindled to nothing.

 

"Do your parents still live in the area?"

 

Inuyasha ground his teeth. What was with all the personal questions? He was supposed to be getting to know her, not the other way around.

 

"They're dead," Inuyasha informed her brusquely. He didn't bother looking at her to see the sympathetic expression that he was sure she was wearing. "And before you get all weepy, it was a long time ago."

 

"Oh."

 

There was merciful silence for a long moment. Inuyasha tried to think of something witty or profound that would take her mind off of his past and steer it onto safer subjects. He considered randomly insulting her again, remembering how her eyes lit up with fire when she was mad at him.

 

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

 

Too late. The idiot girl already asked another stupid question.

 

"One asshole of an older brother." Inuyasha snuck a look at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked genuinely interested. "Actually, he was my half-brother. He's dead too, thank god. What's with all the lame questions? This is starting to feel like an interrogation."

 

Kagome jerked like he had slapped her. Inuyasha turned to face her when he realized that she had stopped walking. Her spine was ramrod straight, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. He felt himself getting defensive and she hadn't said anything yet, though he did notice that her eyes were blazing with that inner fire they got when she was pissed.

 

"You are such a jerk, Inuyasha!" Kagome blinked hard against the furious tears she could feel pricking the backs of her eyes. "I try to carry on a conversation and you accuse me of being nosy. And when I don't say anything, you want to know why I'm ignoring you. Make up your mind! What do you want?"

 

"I don't want to talk about me!" Inuyasha yelled. Stung by her tone, he shouted out things that he would rather not have told anybody. "My past is mine and I choose to keep it that way! When you need to know something, then I'll tell you! So, stop being a pushy, know-it-all, self-centered bitch!"

 

"That's rich coming from you, Inuyasha!" Kagome glared at him, relaxing her jaw only through a supreme act of will. Her dentist wouldn't appreciate the damage she was doing to her teeth.

 

"Well, well," a mocking voice cooed from out of the darkness. "What do we have here? It looks like a lover's spat. What do you say, Brother Manten?"

 

A man, wearing his long dark hair in a braid, stepped out from under the shadow of the trees. His cold eyes studied first the girl before turning to her companion.

 

"I agree, Brother Hiten." A hideously obese man, his paunch spilling over the waistband of his pants in rolls of flab, emerged to stand beside his brother. Moonlight glinted off his bald pate. "Perhaps the wench would prefer to come home with us?"

 

Inuyasha immediately forgot that Kagome was the most irritating person on the face of the earth and positioned himself protectively in front of her. His eyes flickered to the sides as more figures became visible until they were surrounded by roughly half a dozen.

 

"Keep your filthy hands off of her!" Inuyasha growled, forgetting for the moment that he was human, and baring his teeth in a threatening manner.

 

The brothers broke out in ugly laughter, their gang joining them in their mirth. "And what are you going to do, puppy," Hiten jeered. "Bite me and give me rabies?"

 

Inuyasha stiffened, his already aroused blood coming to a full boil. Now that was one insult too many! He charged the nearest brother. Hiten spat out a curse as he dodged nimbly out of the way. Moonlight flashed on the blade of the knife he pulled out of its hiding place.

 

The sight of steel made Inuyasha pause for only a moment. He rushed forward, turning so that his shoulder slammed into the thug and ignoring the streak of pain as the knife slashed his arm. Hiten grunted as the impact with Inuyasha's body drove him back into the nearest tree.

 

Inuyasha fought to hold Hiten in place, grappling to wrest the knife from his grasp and make the fight a little more even. Hiten brought his knee up into Inuyasha's groin, causing the young man to gasp and his hold to loosen slightly. The next kick sent Inuyasha reeling away from the thug. Before he could fully recover, Hiten was there and using his blade to slash at Inuyasha's chest.

 

This was the first time Inuyasha blessed the curse that made his life a living nightmare as he twisted. His speed and strength had greatly increased in the years spent living as a dog during the day. Because of this, Hiten continuously underestimated his opponent's ability to react. The tip of the knife left only a shallow cut instead of the deep slash that probably would have seriously hampered his ability to fight back.

 

But all of these thoughts were driven out of Inuyasha's head when he heard Kagome scream. He jerked his head around to see that Manten had a firm grip on Kagome's hair and was leering at her in a way that was not comforting. The rest of the gang, conditioned to not interfere with their leader's battles, were much more interested in the fun they could have with the wench. Inuyasha's brief lapse was all the opening Hiten needed.

 

Liquid fire ran down Inuyasha's back from the point where the blade entered at his shoulder to where it exited midway down his back. He howled with agony and rage. In a much faster move than he should have been capable of, Inuyasha whirled back to face Hiten. He struck, forcing Hiten to stumble backwards bleeding from a broken nose, and sending the knife spinning into the darkness. Another punch sent Hiten crashing to the ground where he lay moaning. That was one bully who wouldn't be bothering anyone for awhile.

 

Other members of the gang, who had been content to leave the fight to their leader, drew their own weapons and converged on Inuyasha. Manten didn't need their help to subdue a little girl. If they were lucky, she would still be alive later and they could have a little fun after the brothers were finished.

 

One man raised his length of pipe to bring down on Inuyasha's head. He figured that bashing in Inuyasha's skull would be the quickest way to deal with this annoyance. The thug never got the chance. A staff met the top of his head and he toppled to the ground, unconscious.

 

"Who's next?" Miroku brandished his staff in front of him. Sango crouched slightly next to him, her eyes warily scanning the gang members.

 

"It's a good thing we heard Kagome's scream," Sango commented, shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet. "And perfect timing. I was itching for something to hit.”

 

"After you, lady Sango." Miroku swept his staff in a short arc, noting that Inuyasha was bleeding, but didn't seem to be in need of immediate aid.

 

The remaining members of the gang, made cocky by the fact that they outnumbered their opponents, wasted no time in attacking. Inuyasha watched the thugs getting trounced and made a mental note to never make Sango mad. That girl could fight!

 

Manten pressed Kagome harder against the tree, blissfully unaware that the advantage was no longer theirs. He licked his lips and leered at her.

 

"My brother may have gotten all the looks in the family," he tightened his hold on her hair when she tried to flinch away from him, "but he promised that I could have you first. You should feel lucky. My brother is rather hard on his toys and they never survive for long. I am much gentler."

 

"Get your smelly fish-breath out of my face!" Kagome jerked futilely and hissed at renewed pain in her scalp. "Inuyasha will save me! And then you'll wish you'd never been born!"

 

Manten laughed. "Your precious Inuyasha is already dead! Brother Hiten never loses a fight!" Kagome's eyes widened as she caught sight of something behind Manten.

 

"Are you sure about that?" a low voice growled. Manten whipped around just in time to catch Inuyasha's fist in his face. Kagome yelped as Manten's fingers were forcefully pulled from her hair, taking several hanks with them.

 

Manten, with a low tolerance for pain and much more of a coward than his brother, howled in agony. Several bodies lay groaning or otherwise incapacitated on the ground. Those who were able had already fled. Hiten pulled himself to his knees, dripping blood from his nose.

 

Manten rushed to his fallen brother and looped Hiten's arm around his shoulders. Staggering under the weight, Manten half carried half dragged Hiten away from the site of their humiliating defeat as quickly as possible.

 

"Inuyasha!"

 

"Kagome!"

 

Sango and Miroku hurried over to the pair, identical looks of concern lining their faces.

 

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Sango gripped her friend's arm, examining her for any injuries.

 

"I'm okay, Sango." Kagome rubbed her poor scalp and winced at the tenderness that remained. "Thanks to Inuyasha."

 

"Feh! Just a bunch of common bullies. Hardly even a challenge."

 

"Well, those bullies had knives and clubs. Are you sure you're okay?" Kagome stepped closer and laid her hand gently on Inuyasha's arm. This close, she couldn't miss the shudder that ran through Inuyasha's body or the slight stickiness under her fingers.

 

"You're hurt!" Kagome pulled his arm into the moonlight, showing the long tear in his shirt and the glistening of what could only be blood.

 

"It's just a scratch," Inuyasha insisted, trying to pull out of her grasp.

 

Sango gasped. "Your back's bleeding badly! We should get you to a doctor."

 

"I'm fine!" Inuyasha backed up and tripped over a root.

 

"Stop being so stubborn, Inuyasha!" Kagome's fingers went to the buttons of his shirt. "We need to stop the bleeding! Just take off your shirt and let me help you!"

 

"Will you get off of me, bitch?" Inuyasha bucked in an effort to dislodge the girl on top of him and hissing in pain as his injured back came in contact with the ground.

 

"Not until you take off your shirt!"

 

"Beg me!"

 

Miroku watched the exchange calmly. "I didn't realize Kagome was quite so aggressive."

 

Sango, cheeks burning, slapped Miroku on the back of the head. "Not everyone is a pervert like you, Miroku!" Rubbing the throbbing bump, he cast her a reproachful look.

 

Kagome succeeded in pushing Inuyasha's shirt off of his shoulders. She pulled his arm towards her and frowned. Only smooth skin met her questing fingertips. Leaning closer to him, she ran her hand over his shoulder and down his back. An angry redness could be seen in the moonlight, but not the wound she had been expecting to see.

 

Inuyasha shivered as her fingers ran lightly over his skin. His heart sped up and his breathing changed. Somehow he doubted it had anything to do with the fight.

 

Kagome paused in her explorations when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and press her closer to Inuyasha's toned chest. She glanced down to see him regarding her with a heat that sent strange feelings coursing through her body to settle in the pit of her stomach.

 

"Inuyasha?" she whispered.

 

Her voice broke whatever spell had been cast. Inuyasha froze like a deer caught in the headlights before violently pushing her away from him. Kagome yelped, her rear hitting the hard ground with a thump.

 

"I told you I was okay." Inuyasha scrambled to his feet, pulling his shirt back into place and fastening the buttons. "Let's get out of here."

 

Miroku hurried to catch up with his friend. "I told you that pretending to get hurt was a guaranteed way of winning a lady's affections."

 

"Shut up, monk! It wasn't like that! That bastard got me pretty good a couple of times but, thanks to this stupid curse, I heal a lot faster than a normal human."

 

Making a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, Miroku merely nodded with a knowing glint in his eye. Inuyasha snorted and ignored his friend the rest of the way back.

 

The remainder of the walk passed in silence, each one busy with his or her own thoughts. It was almost a shock when they reached Sango's house. Inuyasha and Kagome waited on the sidewalk while Miroku insisted on walking Sango to her front door.

 

They could see Miroku talking to Sango and it wasn't hard to guess what he was saying. Sango shook her head firmly and turned to go into the house. Miroku, who had behaved himself all evening, couldn't resist anymore.

 

"PERVERT!"

 

Miroku sauntered back to Inuyasha and Kagome sporting a bright red handprint on his cheek and a satisfied expression.

 

"I think she likes me," He cheerfully informed them. Inuyasha rolled his eyes while Kagome merely shook her head.

 

They walked until they came to the Higurashi shrine. Kagome started up the stairs that led to her home. With a sigh, Inuyasha followed her. He would be glad when the date from hell was finally over.

 

"Remember what I told you," Miroku hissed after him.

 

"Hey, bitch!" Inuyasha's voice stopped her as she was putting her key in the lock. "Isn't this where you're supposed to say that you had a good time?"

 

Kagome turned to face him. Inuyasha took a nervous step back at the sudden fire in her eyes. "Between your insults and the gang attack I don't think this qualifies as a good time."

 

"Like that was my fault! You should thank me for getting your worthless hide home in one piece!"

 

"Really? It seems like every time I see you I almost get killed! Can't you do anything normal that doesn't involve insulting me or putting my life in danger?"

 

Inuyasha gritted his teeth, any euphoria gained from defeating the two brothers quickly evaporating. What was it about this girl that caused her to get under his skin so fast? "Fine! Since you don't think I can do anything normal, then you won't mind if I do this!" Reaching out and grabbing Kagome, Inuyasha jerked her towards him and slammed his lips down on top of hers.

 

There was no passion in the kiss; too much anger existed for that. Taken by surprise, Kagome felt it only as a harsh pressure. Before she could gather her scattered wits, Inuyasha released her.

 

Panting heavily, the two stared at each other. Inuyasha felt himself calming at the shocked look on Kagome's face. That would show the bitch! Exactly what it would show her wasn't real clear.

 

Kagome's anger returned quickly. How dare that overbearing, egotistical man steal her first kiss! She should have bitten him, or kicked him. Too late now.

 

"See you later, bitch." Inuyasha smirked, all confidence restored. He shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered down the steps to where Miroku was waiting to find out how the end of the date went.

 

Fuming, Kagome stared after his retreating form. She licked her lips, still able to taste him. A smirk, almost a copy of Inuyasha's, graced her face. That man should know better than to tangle with Kagome Higurashi. She would make him regret ever having met her.

 

^**^

 

A/N: And the plot continues to thicken. Wonder what'll happen when Sango finds out that Inuyasha has the jewel in his possession that her family was murdered to try and find. And Inuyasha is starting to show his protective side where Kagome is concerned. But he'd better look out. She wants to make him suffer for that kiss he stole from her.

 

Food for thought:

The early bird gets the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.