InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Disaster ❯ I'm No Superman ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Beautiful Disaster

Chapter 5: I'm No Superman

And he went, tearing his eyes from the girl who he wanted desperately to help right now… who was internally bleeding, heart ripped open, left to bleed on the floor. When he made it to the stage, the spotlights seemed brighter - distracting - and his hearing was muffled, like he had earplugs in. People walking around in the distance were blurs, and he couldn't focus on what his band-mates were saying behind him. All he could focus on was the angel sitting in the front row, looking up at him like he could right all the wrongs in this world. Like he could do anything. Like he would make everything right again…

She sat at ground level, staring up into his piercing golden eyes, gaining solid ground as her mind spun out of control in despair, recalling Souta's desperate words.

“Kagome, she needs you… I need you. I can't bear to see her hurt like this.” He had sniffed, clearing his sinuses and throat. “It's so much worse than it was then,”he'd stated, referring to a few years back. “Her throat's closed up. The doctor said she's gonna have to depend on a tube to breathe… her throat's mutilated - unusable.She's wheezing so bad… I can't stand being here alone, Kagome.” Her normally brave brother had been brought to his knees because of their mother's pitiful condition.

“Don't worry. I'll be theretonight.”

She expected him not to worry? How could she ask that of him when her own body was going into overload; convulsing in violent waves, hot tears burning the backs of her eyes. Sango tried to steady her where she sat as she was rocking back and forth frantically, mind racing with thoughts of the worst, but Kagome's body pushed Sango's comforting gesture aside. The only thing that could bring comfort to her right now was the serenity that swirled in Inuyasha's eyes, though he too, was panicking on the inside. He let his gaze wander the small room, where many of the nightly bar-goers awaited a satisfactory performance - just like every night. Kai seemed to be yelling something at him, but he didn't hear; showed no sign of Kai's existence. Inuyasha was spaced out, his mind a white flash; the here and now wiped away with the flood of emotions that overwhelmed him. He missed his entrance when Kai counted them off with the clacking of his drumsticks.

`Damnit!' he yelled in his mind, fingers stumbling across the strings, losing their way as he tried to identify the song in his mind. A shrill friction of notes rang through the air, cringe-worthy to say the least. Miroku and Kai internally sighed in relief when Inuyasha's fingers finally jumped on track, but he'd already done enough damage. People muttered amongst themselves, some gathering enough courage to boo, shaking their heads in disappointment, some even standing to leave. Kagome's eyes were wide as she stared up at him, berating herself for allowing her personal life to affect Inuyasha so badly. She didn't need someone else mad at her… not at a time like this… not when she needed more support than ever.

The night resumed the usual calm afterwards, but not before gaining the attention of the manager Myouga, as well as gaining complaints from disgruntled customers. Inuyasha decided not to push his luck tonight, vacating the stage with his fellow band members, following Miroku to the table up front where Kagome and Sango were seated, slumped in their chairs. Kagome looked crushed as they approached.

“Please tell me that look is for my idiocy and not something worse,” he kidded, circling the table to stand behind her. Kai stood in the distance watching their exchange.

“I'm so sorry,” she whimpered miserably, crying into her hands. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, his face mere inches from hers when he stopped to whisper in her ear.

“Don't worry about it,” he replied caringly. He wanted to lean in… to kiss her softly in friendship - maybe more - and tell her that everything was alright. He was going to… before he heard the thudding of Kai's boots approaching them slowly from behind. His ears flattened to his head when Kai cleared his throat. “What do you want?”

“For you to stop acting like she's the only thing in the world… it makes me sick,” he sneered.

“Why? Because you don't have anyone to give a damn about? Are you jealous, Kai?”

“The only reason I don't have anyone to care about is because you stole her, you asshole!” he said through gritted teeth. Veins began to bulge in his forehead, the skin of his face glowing blood red in fury. “And look what happened to her! She's dead because of you!” he yelled. His comment caught Kagome off guard, causing her head to swivel toward Inuyasha - waiting for an answer.

`Kikyou was with Kai? And Inuyasha stole her? That doesn't sound like the Inuyasha I've come to know…'

“Keh, quit trying to defend yourself,” Inuyasha started, approaching him with shoulders raised, muscles tensed, the short hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. “She left you because she wanted someone who would actually care. You claim you cared so much, why did she come crying to me with bruises so bad she tossed and turned at night from the pain? If you love somebody, you don't fucking beat them!” By now, he was snarling deeply, brows furrowed, waiting to go in for the kill. His muscles rippled through the back of his shirt. Kagome noticed blood dripping from his hands, clenched so tightly they had begun to bleed; nails imbedded in his palms.

“Yeah, well look at what kind of trash she settled for! You didn't deserve the fucking happiness she gave you!” he yelled, coming forward, fist raised. Inuyasha didn't back down. “You -

“Enough!” the manager of the bar, a short chubby man with a grey moustache and shiny head yelled at them both, emerging from the shadows. “If you idiots don't get out now, I'll fire your sorry asses! Then you can fight over scraps on the streets like everyday mongrels!” He pointed at the open door.

“Don't worry Myouga, we've got somewhere to be anyway,” Inuyasha snorted with the wave of a hand, glaring spitefully at Kai. “No point in trying to get any common sense through his thick skull anyway… Come on Kagome, I'll take you to see your mother.”

She barely nodded her head, keeping her eyes out of reach of Kai's prying gaze. She walked out with him, though they never came into contact, never looking back as they left the warm cocoon that was the bar, stepping into the frigid air of night, icy water droplets nipping at their skin.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

When Inuyasha pulled the keys from the ignition he was careful not to rouse Kagome. Her tears had gotten the better of her, sending her into a rough, deep sleep. Inuyasha had turned the radio down after she passed out, reducing the noise - if not only to hear her pained breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. It seemed that even while she slept, tears made their way through her lids, glistening in the corners of her closed eyes. He un-lodged his shoulder from beneath her head, pulling her out with him when he slid out of the car. He pushed the door closed with his foot and headed for the entrance to the hospital.

The receptionist at the front desk directed him to Mrs. Higurashi's room personally, as most of the hallway lights were not lit - it was one-thirty in the morning. They went to a different floor this time, presenting them with a new set of dark winding hallways. She left them outside the door, wishing them the best of luck, though her words only fell upon Inuyasha's ears. He turned the knob slowly, as not to wake the people inside.

A faint beeping drew his attention to a machine in the corner, tracking the pulse of the woman who lay limply in the bed. Souta was curled in a chair at the bedside, trails of dried tears visible on his face. Kagome had the same pathways etched down her face, the saltiness still clinging to Inuyasha's nose. She had cried so much.

As gently as he could, he pulled a chair closer to the bed, avoiding the cords and tubes that were jumbled on the floor. He sat down, positioning Kagome comfortably in his lap, pulling her head back so it was supported by his shoulder. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he allowed the darkness of the night to win, pulling all consciousness away from him, sinking beneath the crashing waves of sleep that beckoned him deeper… deeper…

“Sir!” He was awakened with a start, jumping to life, squeezing his eyes closed tightly, burnt by the bright light of the morning. He looked around the small room, now sitting in the shadow of a menacing doctor, Souta still sleeping across the room, Kagome still curled in his lap.

“What is it?” he asked gruffly, irritation evident in his voice. He picked up on the shallow breathing of the woman in the bed.

“I was hoping to speak with the closest family member… there are some issues we should discuss about Mrs. Higurashi.”

“Well you woke up the wrong person,” he said quietly, resting his hand on Kagome's shoulder, nudging her gently to try and wake her. “Kagome… Kagome…”

She stirred, brows furrowing, sun penetrating her eyelids before she turned away from the window and opened her eyes. She blinked around the room - scoured her mind trying to remember how she got here. Her eyes landed on her mother before she looked to the doctor expectantly. Inuyasha's hand ran up and down her back slowly, easing her muscles.

“Yes, it's about your mother…” he began. And her tears began to flow freely again, coming to terms with his apathetic explanation. Inuyasha was there to comfort her when the doctor left the room. She cried quietly into his chest, grasping fistfuls of his T-shirt in her tiny hands.

“The cancer has spread through her whole throat. I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but… it's just a game of waiting at this point. This story isn't going to have a happy ending.”

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

Her mother ended up waking before Souta, greeting Kagome and Inuyasha with a weak smile. It was midday, and the sun was high over the hospital, shining glaringly bright through the windows. “Hello there,” she greeted them both. She noticed the wet patches on Inuyasha's shirt and the puffiness under her daughters' eyes. “It's nice to see you again, Inuyasha.”

“Nice to see you too, Mrs. Higurashi,” he said with a smile, standing with his arms wrapped loosely around Kagome's waist. She pushed his hands away and collapsed on her mother in a loving hug; a hug of remembrance. Tears welled in Mrs. Higurashi's eyes.

“Kagome dear, please don't cry. You make me feel so helpless. There's no need to cry over me,” the older woman said softly, running her hands through her daughters' hair. “Crying won't change the inevitable. My time here is done.”

“Don't say things like that,” Kagome pleaded, burying her face in her mother's hospital gown. “If I don't have you, then who do I have?”

Mrs. Higurashi stayed quiet for a moment, taking deep breaths with her eyes closed. She looked up at Inuyasha with complete acceptance. He'd seen the woman all of two times, but she and Kagome were alike in the fact that they didn't mind if he was human, demon, or hanyou. “Kagome honey,” she began softly, closing her eyes. “There are still so many people who will love you… what about your roommate Sango? Your brother? Your future husband… you don't need a feeble old woman like me nagging at you,” she joked half-heartedly, staring into the depths of Kagome's eyes, cupping her cheeks in her weak hands. “I love you… that's all you need to know. It's easier to let go honey. Don't be so hard on yourself.”

“Oh mom…” she sobbed. At this point, Souta toppled from his chair, waking with various grunts and groans, rubbing at the back of his head.

“Mom!” he cracked, scurrying to his feet. While Souta was talking to his mother, Inuyasha snaked his arms around Kagome's waist from behind; rested his cheek against hers in an attempt to cork her tears.

`You've got me, too,' he thought with a pained smirk as she leaned back against him, sighing in relief as he leaned back in the chair, pulling her with him. The rattling of a cart was heard from the hallway, announcing the arrival of lunch. Wiping the tears from beneath her eyes, she suggested they go out for lunch. He gladly agreed, suggesting a few places off the top of his head as they looked back to wave goodbye as they disappeared into the hallway.

“Ah, young love…” Mrs. Higurashi sighed as they left the room. Souta looked at her with puzzlement, his eyes exuding the innocence of a young boy as he watched them go and raided the tray of food.

---------------beautiful-disaster--------------

“Hey, do you mind if we stop at the MTV building? I wanted to pick up an application for the publicist job.”

“No problem,” he shrugged, turning onto one of the roads less traveled; a shortcut to the MTV studio. He'd taken her to a small café for coffee and sandwiches, and was now headed the direction of the hospital, taking a detour through Brooklyn's trashed alleyways to get to MTV's Broadcast building. Kagome ran in quickly, picking up an application, eager to return to her mother.

They made it back in record time, but there was really no point. There was no entertainment to be had, just a sickly woman lying in a hospital bed; a young man sitting on the floor beside her. He'd given up on the chair. For the remainder of the afternoon, Kagome filled out the job application, finding that she met all the requirements to a tee. At this point, she didn't care what type of job she got - she just needed a form of income to keep food on the table; if not to keep Sango from kicking her out of the apartment.

Inuyasha sat nearby, sometimes focusing his full attention on Kagome, sometimes opening his ears to Mrs. Higurashi, who would weakly ask him a question every now and then. She could feel on the inside… that sinking feeling; that she was falling from a cliff's edge with no parachute, every hour coming closer to the ground below. She was able to ask him questions as if she were truly interested, effectively hiding behind a mask that gave the false impression of her well-being. In reality, she was dying behind her facade, fading away slowly but surely, asking him questions as if they were lifelines, his answers chasing away the waves that threatened to pull her under the raging black tides. `At least Kagome won't be left alone…' she thought absently when he left the room to stretch his legs, allowing the feral bearers of death to sneak up on her as she fell into a labored sleep; falling farther into the depths of her mind as her pulse grew weaker and weaker.

Inuyasha returned with dinner for Kagome from the food court downstairs, and as they ate, merely glancing over at Mrs. Higurashi every once in awhile, neither they nor the doctors noticed as the beeping of her pulse dwindled to a deathly slow pace before they turned in early for the night. They sat in separate chairs that night, though Kagome leaned against Inuyasha as her eyes fluttered closed in an attempt to chase away all painful thoughts and revel in the warmth of his skin on her cheek. They fell asleep, never expecting the awful reality that would greet them in the morning.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

Kagome and Inuyasha were abruptly pulled from their dreams by distraught voices calling their names. Inuyasha opened his eyes first, noting that the view out the window was foggy and black - still nighttime. As Kagome squirmed at his side, he turned to focus on the other occupants in the room, a doctor and a pair of nurses scurrying about with menacing metal tools in their hands. When the taller nurse called out to the doctor for assistance, Inuyasha noticed her voice - it was the voice that had been calling out to Kagome and himself only moments ago.

“Oh, thank goodness dear, you're awake,” she exclaimed as she approached the two of them, reaching out for Kagome's hand to pull her forward. Her eyes hadn't even opened before she was falling face-first toward the hard tile floor of the room, flailing wildly in midair trying to catch herself. Her eyes flew wide open. Inuyasha sprung into action beside her, catching her and lifting her up, her hair brushing swiftly across the ground as he lifted her high into the air and growled at the nurse, bearing his fangs at her. She was appalled by his animal-like mannerism.

“What's all the commotion about?” Kagome asked, pushing away from Inuyasha, wishing to stand on her own two feet. She advanced toward the table where her mother had slept peacefully last night - where her mother now lay motionless and bleeding, a doctor beside her with a surgical tool shoved halfway into her neck. “What are you doing? What's wrong with her?!” Kagome wailed, struggling forward, outstretching her hand to her mother. Her fingers brushed her mother's cheek.

“Restrain her!” the doctor yelled in fury, his tone harsh and his words berating as he slapped her hand away. He growled over his shoulder as Kagome was pulled back by both nurses. “Don't interfere! You'll only complicate things more! She only has about a ten percent chance of pulling through this, and you bothering me only narrows that margin farther! Do you want her to die?” he asked flatly, focusing again as he probed around with his tools inside Mrs. Higurashi's neck. “When we came to check up on her this morning, she wasn't breathing. If you expect her to have any chance at living, I suggest you leave…”

She began to sob brokenly, falling to the floor on her knees as she cried softly into her hands. She muttered unintelligibly to herself as Inuyasha stood and rested his hands on her shoulders, weakly encouraging her to leave the room with him. When she stood, she found it impossible to move her legs, for fear that she would be unstable and fall. “Inuyasha…?” she asked helplessly, begging him to understand as her eyes welled with tears, reaching out to him in a silent question.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he captured her hand softly in his, giving it the faintest of squeezes as he leaned down to pick her up. Effortlessly, he swooped her into his arms, securing her to his chest as he left the room without a word or a glance back at the doctor. All the while he held her hand gently, and when she turned her head in to his chest to cry, he pulled her closer.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

After their dismissal, Inuyasha took Kagome into the waiting room, where they found Souta watching a baseball game on the tiny screen in the corner of the compact room. Here they waited, and as every second ticked away, Inuyasha grew more and more anxious. Not to say that he was personally worried about Mrs. Higurashi, but more the pain that Kagome would go through if anything happened to her. He would be the first to admit that he didn't mind comforting her in the least, but the look Mrs. Higurashi had given him last night kept flashing in his mind. `I really hope nothing happens to the poor woman… but I can't help but recall the - dare I say it -surrender in her eyes.What was she trying to tell me?'

Kagome's crying had subsided nearly an hour ago, but that didn't mean that she couldn't start them flowing again at any moment. The perfect example came when the same doctor that had snapped at her earlier appeared in the doorway wearing an exhausted, mournful expression, sweat dripping from his brow.

“Higurashi,” he called, locking eyes with Kagome as she shot to her feet. She grabbed Souta's hand and hastily pulled him out of his chair. Inuyasha was close behind, his hand resting on her shoulder as they approached the hefty man blocking the doorway. She started to quiver under his hand when the doctor said nothing for a long moment before exhaling. “I know this must be hard for you…” he began, looking down into his clipboard.

“No,” Kagome whispered, beginning to shake her head back and forth. “No,” she said again when Souta locked his arms around her waist. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into her side as their faces grew red with grief. “She can't be… she can't leave us like this!” With every word, the power with which she spoke increased, along with her volume. Her eyes overflowed with tears as she fell to her knees, pulling Souta into her chest crying onto his shoulder. Inuyasha stood back, wanting to cry himself as Kagome wailed in unfelt pain and misery. Feelings he wished he could feel, if only to suffer with her. A tap on his shoulder pulled his eyes back to the doctor eyeing him expectantly.

“I'm terribly sorry about your loss… here is some paperwork you'll need to sign to release the hospital of any charges…”

“Why you heartless bastard!” Inuyasha yelled, smacking the paperwork to the ground, advancing on the doctor, backing him into a wall. “How dare you stand there and act like nothing happened and then expect a fucking get out of jail free card! Can't you see that they're suffering?” He moved to pull Kagome into his arms bridal-style, trying to comfort her by running his hand through her hair. Souta stood too, and with all his might, held in his tears, if only for a few moments. By now, Inuyasha had drawn the attention of all the waiting room's occupants to himself. “If you expect us to look at any of that damned paperwork then spend the fucking fifty cents on a postage stamp and mail it to us!” His fangs were bared as he stepped forward menacingly, like a predator stalking his prey. An angel's soft voice was the only thing that kept him from moving in for the kill.

“Inuyasha…?” She spoke his name as if it were a question. “Inuyasha…?” she tried again, looking up at him with pleading eyes as more tears fell, staining his shirt.

“What is it Kagome, what do you want?” he asked in the gentlest tone imaginable, afraid she might break if he spoke any louder. His fingers kneaded the soft skin of her arm in his hand.

“Take me home…please?” she begged, burrowing into him farther. He couldn't help but oblige, nodding his head before he shot the doctor one last menacing glare. As he walked out, taking long, elegant strides, Souta hurrying to keep up, the eyes of many waiting patients followed him, and when he was out the door, they all turned to stare at the doctor, standing with his mouth agape.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

The first thing she noticed as she woke was the smell of the sheets under her nose. They smelled distinctly… outdoorsy, but familiar at the same time. Moving her hands across the fabric, she noted the rough stitching between some of the softest silken fabric she'd ever felt. Her brows furrowed as she grasped a handful of the fabric.

`These aren't my sheets… I thought I asked Inuyasha to take me home.' Though she didn't open her eyes, when she turned her head she knew she was facing an open window thanks to the warm sunlight filtering across her face. She sat up, blinking her eyes to clear her vision. Sure enough, she sat on a large bed facing an open window, out which, she could see that she was at least five stories up. The smell of cooking hotdogs wafted up to her through the window from a small vendor below. She stood up and approached the window, to where she could see and hear tiny birds chirping, flying back and forth, landing on the occasional power line. A noise she had assumed to be the buzz of traffic below suddenly stopped, giving her no warning before Inuyasha barged into the room with nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist. He casually waltzed over to an antique dresser in the corner, still unaware of Kagome's state of consciousness as he pulled out a pair of white underwear and a battered pair of jeans. Kagome couldn't help but marvel at his chiseled bronze physique, short messy silver hair the perfect contrast as water droplets ran down his back. This had to stop before she started drooling. She cleared her throat, causing Inuyasha's ears to swivel her direction.

“I'll bet you're getting quite a view, hmm?” he asked as he spun around, shoving the door closed behind him. He had a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

“I've seen better,” she joked back, looking down at the sheets as a bright blush rose to her cheeks.

“Yep, that's why you can't even look at me,” he confirmed as he stepped into her line of sight and she turned away. Still holding the towel closed, he sat beside her on the bed. “I'm glad you finally woke up,” he said with a caring smile, reaching out to touch her chin, bringing her to look him in the eyes.

Once again she blushed, pulling away from his gaze, this time for a different reason. “Why is that?” she asked quietly, thinking back to this morning, now looking around for a clock to check the time.

“It's about three thirty if you're looking for a clock,” Inuyasha provided. “And I was worried about you,” he confessed, scratching at one of his ears.

“Hmm… I thought I asked you to take me home.”

“This is home.”

“Your home.”

“I needed a shower. After all, I hadn't been home in two days thanks to you,” he said triumphantly, as if he had won a battle. He rolled off the bed and walked away into the hall. “You can take one too, if you'd like.”

“Gee thanks, but since I'm at your house, none of my clothes are here.”

There was silence in the hall for a moment before Inuyasha popped back into the room in the jeans, waistband of his underwear clearly visible. “Wear some of mine.”

“You think I'm going out in public in your clothes? Are you nuts!?”

“Hey, that hurts. I only meant until we made it back to your place, but…”

“You mean you're willing to take me back to the apartment just to change? You really don't have to…”

“Trust me, it's not going to be free. I've been hauling you everywhere the last couple of days.”

“Oh? And what's your price, mister overworked one?” she kidded, shoving him on the shoulder.

“You don't get to find out until you're done with your shower and dressed.”

`Going to be difficult, is he?' “Fine. But put a shirt on while I'm in there,” she suggested, waving her hand toward his chest.

“Why? Am I too distracting for you?” he chuckled as she left the room.

`Entirely.' “Of course not, pervert,” she muttered before slamming the bathroom door.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

When Kagome reentered the bedroom, she was surprised to find Inuyasha sleeping, sprawled out on the bed. `I guess he hasn't had the best sleep schedule the last few nights, either.' She sat beside him on the bed, sinking into the plush comforter. His ear twitched, but he showed no sign of waking, his breathing still completely calm as she stared at his shirtless chest rising and falling. As she focused on his breathing, her thoughts were pulled back to her mother.

As she had stood in the shower, washing away all of her troubles, the tears had flowed freely, hidden beneath the cool water running down her face. She didn't want to cry anymore, but the tears that bit at the corners of her eyes seemed inevitable. Suddenly there was a warm arm wrapped around her waist.

“Did I wake you?” she asked as her voice cracked and she looked back, wiping a fleeting tear from her cheek. A rough finger ran beneath her eye when she squeezed her eyes shut, catching a stray tear that she missed.

“No, don't worry about it,” he reassured, staring into her eyes. “If it hurts, don't be afraid to cry Kagome,” he said as more tears filled her already glassy eyes. “I know what it feels like to lose someone you love… it hurts so badly. But eventually…” she looked into his eyes hopefully, “eventually, you find someone who can fill that void.”

“You must be some sort of superhero… you always know just what to say…” she said, the corners of her lips pulling up in a smile.

“Keh. Superheroes don't exist, Kagome. They're only in the movies.”

“Does that mean that you'll disappear?” she asked desperately, falling back onto the bed with him. She turned so that her head rested on his chest.

“No. I'm here, don't worry. But like I said, I'm no superman.”

“Are you so sure?” she asked, staring out the window.

“Only if you're not an angel.” And in that moment as they looked into each other's eyes, Inuyasha's eyes smoldered. He leaned closer, his breath fanning her cheek as her gaze wandered over every inch of his face. Her only fear now was that she would wake up from a dream.

“I'm not.” And his lips closed over hers. In that moment, all sad thoughts were erased. Instead, her lips moved against his, following his lead as he leaned up onto his shoulders to deepen the kiss. She pulled away though, much to Inuyasha's displeasure. He looked at her questioningly, as if he'd done something wrong.

“Be careful,” she said with a smirk. “You don't get to go around kissing angels everyday you know.”

“I thought you just said you weren't.”

“Well you just proved yourself wrong about not being superman, too,” she teased sinfully as she went back to the bathroom to dry her hair.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

“Oh my gosh, Kagome, how are you holding up?” Sango asked when Kagome walked through the front door. She had called earlier. Before Kagome knew it, she was in one of the tightest hugs she'd ever experienced. She kidded around with her, choking as she tried to speak.

“I'm fine Sango, just don't bring it up and I'll be fine,” she said with a pained smile. “Inuyasha's waiting for me in the car, let me get ready.” It was then that Sango noticed Kagome's state of dress.

“Why don't you try something that's not falling halfway off your ass, Kagome?” she yelled as Kagome walked down the hall.

“Shut up!”

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

As usual, Miroku was waiting at the bar when the girls arrived, but seated next to him was Kai, a half-full bottle of vodka in hand. He stood to greet them both with a hug, whispering well wishes into Kagome's ears so Kai wouldn't overhear. “I'm terribly sorry about your loss, Kagome.”

“Don't worry about it, Miroku,” she said with quivering lips, trying her damndest to hold her tears in.

“So where's Inuyasha on this fine night?” he asked casually, glancing around the dimly lit room.

“He's still parking the car,” Sango chimed in. “There was nothing close.”

“Oh, I see. Shall we all sit down for some dinner, seeing as we've got quite a while until show time?”

“I think I'll take you up on that offer,” Inuyasha barked from the doorway with a wide grin on his face. “You buying?”

“Of course, Inuyasha,” he spat sarcastically as they walked away from the bar to a table, Kai's eyes following the group, focusing on the smile on Inuyasha's face.

`Smile while you can, Inuyasha…' he thought as he snapped at the bartender, demanding another drink.

---------------beautiful-disaster---------------

“I want a girl with lips like morphine,

Knock me out every time they touch me,

I want to feel a kiss just crush me,

And break me down…”

The crowd was going wild, cheering for the song more than anything as Inuyasha sang into the microphone, Miroku singing back-up. Kai's eyes had nearly bulged out of his head when Inuyasha said the name of the song. Miroku's reaction wasn't too far off that. This was the song Inuyasha had written for Kikyou, decades ago it seemed, but now he was singing it for Kagome, and only she knew why at this point. It didn't matter who it was for though, the crowd was responding nonetheless, throwing tips like crazy.

Knock me out,

Cause I've waited for all my life,

To be here with you tonight.

I want a girl with lips like morphine,

Blow a kiss that leaves me gasping,

I want to feel that lightning strike me,

And burn me down…”

When Inuyasha called it quits, nobody complained - not even Kai as he pulled the drum-set to the back of the stage. He did however, notice the new way they responded to each other, as if all of their boundaries had been brought down overnight. He glared at Kagome's hand clasped casually in Inuyasha's, and watched the four of them walk out. Inuyasha was even in high enough spirits to glance back at Kai and wave.

`He's not going to steal another one… Inuyasha, you shouldn't flaunt something that doesn't belong to you. Both of you will suffer… just wait and see!' he thought as he snuck out the door behind them, sliding noiselessly into his car as they headed for theirs. When the working taillight of Inuyasha's car came on, Kai turned his key in the ignition, his car coming to life as he followed Inuyasha and Kagome home.

`I hope you realize what tomorrow is, hanyou. The new moon is a peculiar thing… you will play right into my hand.'

Oh my god, it's been far too long! Really, I was starting to verge on the edge of pathetic. But please, before you send me a ton of flames, let me explain myself. First of all, trying to maintain a 4.0 in honors classes is hard! That explains about the first week of this story's absence. Second, I had major writer's block for the next… three weeks or so. I've had the first 2,000 words written since the day I last posted… oops! And finally, my computer caught a ton of spyware and I couldn't do ANYTHING. UGH. So that explains about the last three weeks. Yesterday I went fishing with my dad, and today, it was finally sunny enough to live! Hooray for sunlight - my inspiration! Maybe it's just this horrible Oregon weather that's holding me back…idk.

My last day of school is Thursday. That means I should be able to get chapters out way faster! But not this week… finals… grrr.

Well, now that you've sat through all of my mindless banter, why not review? I wouldn't want to leave you on the edge for too long, would I?