InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Between Darkness and Light ❯ Sunk So Low ( Chapter 21 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does.

Warning: Remember, this R rating isn't to be taken lightly.

Between Darkness and Light

Chapter 21: Sunk so Low

By Cataluna

The door swung open noiselessly as he stepped into the unlit entryway between the kitchen and the living room. He didn't bother to switch on the light, relying solely on his familiarity with the layout of his home to make his way to the kitchen, his face still carrying the worried frown he had with him since earlier. He set the bags of grocery down on the counter, and opened the fridge, letting a soft path of yellow light into the room.

Damn…

He knew a trip to the grocery store was necessary but this was ridiculous. The only thing left was a lonely container of blood on the last shelf, and judging by the look of it, it had been there for quite some time. He snorted. The only thing Miroku didn't and wouldn't fucking touch. He quickly put away all the items on the counter and closed the fridge, making a mental note to visit the local butcher for some animal's blood tomorrow. Either that or he could go hunting again, though he was reluctant to leave Kagome's side for a lengthy period after tonight.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that someone was after Kagome -- going as far as setting up traps and luring her away by playing on her compassion. And for the first time, he was worried that he might not be able to protect her, just like he wasn't able to keep Kouga's hands off of her. When he'd find her, she was shaken. Her shirt was torn and there was a distinct scent on her that nearly made him snap and lost his temper if not for the condition she was in.

She'd reeked of another man's arousal.

Nothing had happened or he would have destroyed everything that was within a 10-mile radius, but he was beginning to wonder if Kagome was giving off some kind of vibe that kept attracting these shithead perverts to her. She was beautiful, but there were other women more beautiful than her. Still, it seemed that she couldn't go for a week without getting molested or kidnapped. The only thing that set her apart from the others was her slayer power, and vampires were supposed to be repulsed by that. Well, normal ones anyhow. I guess until I figure that out, I'll just have to keep her on a very short leash.

Sulking in his regular fashion, Inuyasha crossed the living room and quietly opened the door to their bedroom, his nose right away twitched in both irritation and delight. The fragrance of Kagome's shampoo and body wash filled the air in large quantity - way more than the usual tolerable amount. He much preferred her natural scent and the smell of his musk on her skin over the manufactured aroma, but at least she was freed of that man. Now he just had to mark her with his scent again, not that he would mind fulfilling the task one bit.

She was already in bed, asleep or pretending to. He had observed her enough to know the difference, and right now, she was doing the latter. Her entire body was burrowed deep underneath the cover, leaving no skin for his eyes to feast on. Determined to improve on the view, he kicked off his shoes and jerked his grey shirt over his head, throwing it carelessly on a chair nearby. He lifted the cover. The bed squeaked and the mattress sunk as he crawled next to her; his jeans left in a messy puddle on the floor.

Her back was facing him and he heard her heart raced as he gathered her tightly into his arms, one hand splayed across her stomach and the other cupped possessively over a generous breast. Kagome stiffened at once before relaxing into his hold. Her head fell back to nestle on his shoulder while she rubbed his hand absently.

He loved the way they fit together, like she had been made for him and him alone. She was clad in one of his favorite t-shirts -- much too big for her small frame. He also didn't like how it was practically hiding all his favorite parts from him; she usually wore those tiny tank tops that clung tight to her chest with straps that were easy to pull down.

He'd just have to make the best of it.

He drew her thick tresses aside to shower light kisses on the nape of her neck; one hand gently kneaded her sensitive flesh, thumb rubbing on a hardening nipple.

"Inuyasha… what are you doing?" she asked softly, her voice sounding strained even as he felt her body heat.

His lips curled into a sly smile. "Now that you're all nice and clean…" he began with a low, husky whisper that caused her to shiver, "I need to dirty you again." As if to prove his point, his hand slipped under the cover to travel a familiar and tantalizing path up her thigh as his mouth continued a sensual suction on her neck. She immediately grabbed his persistent hand and tried to close her legs to prevent him from venturing further.

"D-don't!" she choked, startling him into a guilty halt.

Confused and frustrated even, Inuyasha removed himself from her and turned her over, tenderly moving away raven locks of hair that had fallen strategically to cover the length of her heart-shaped face. The bewilderment he was experiencing wasn't caused by her refusal. She had been behaving rather strangely since they'd found her, her eyes too pensive and her movement too rigid for her normally relax nature.

His thumb and index finger caught her chin and tilted it so he could study her more clearly. The bruises on her face had faded completely and the cut on her lips was gone. She looked whole, but she wasn't; her eyes were laced with panic and something unreadable… even for him. "What's wrong?" he asked plainly, and heard an audible gulp from her throat. Eyes widening enough for him to notice, she attempted to turn her head to the side to avoid his piercing gaze, but he held firm, cupping her face gently with both hands. "What's wrong with you, woman?" His mouth pressed into a thin line as he waited once more for her reply. He was in no mood for games.

The slayer finally stilled her movement as though she'd just realized he was stronger than her physically, and equally as stubborn. "Nothing," she answered with what he could see was a forced smile, "Why?"

"You seem different."

Her hand covered his, "I'm just tired, really tired. I'm really just human, you know?"

"That's all?"

She nodded quietly.

Don't lie to me, Kagome. One more time… "Did something happen tonight? Something you want to tell me?" he pressed.

"Nothing happened, Inuyasha," she replied slowly as though all the strength had drained out of her, "Nothing at all."

The hands which continued to hold her shook with the slightest of movement; a tremble filled with dark rage as he stared down at his mate. She was lying to him, purposefully and repeatedly. A small part of him wanted her obedience, wanted to crush her skull for lying to him until the truth was squeezed out of her. He wouldn't kill her, but he would punish her. The monster buried inside of him wanted blood or violence.

It wanted Kagome.

Inuyasha winced visibly as it spoke to him, demanding to be satisfied. Why? Why now? I don't fucking need this now especially when I can't even figure out what's going on inside Kagome's head. Shaking his head, he removed his hands from her, curling them into tight fists on either side of her head as he attempted to calm himself. `One day,' he told himself. One day, he might not be able to stop it from collecting, and that thought scared him more than anything he could imagine.

He looked guiltily down at her, wondering if she had caught that, expecting to see terror carved across her face. But she stared blankly back at him, her eyes eerily calm. She had been too distracted to realize how close she had came to meeting the part of him he never wanted her to see - the part that could cost him Kagome.

As soon as everything is over I'll go away. I'll keep my distance from her until I can control this. For now I'll stay… With a strained breath, he closed his eyes and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers, stroking her face gently. Her aura answered weakly back to his touch, adorned with fractures he had never felt before. `I won't ask you anymore, at least not tonight,' he promised, half-afraid she would break just by him holding her. "Tell me what you need," his voice requested in a whisper.

She smiled the first genuine smile he had seen this evening, the very smile he had grown to love. It warmed him. Her hand combed tentatively through his hair, twirling a tendril of his silver lock around her finger until she was almost at his scalp before releasing. "How about that chocolate ice cream?"

Inuyasha kissed her lightly on the nose and felt his own smile spreading wide across his face. "It's in the fridge... got it for you just in case," he replied with a kiss on her cheek as he lifted his side of the blanket before getting off of her in one fluid motion. "I'll be right back."

Ice-cold fingers wound themselves halfway around his arm as he scooted toward the edge of the bed. She pulled at him, almost causing him to stumble back on top of her. "Don't," she requested softly.

He turned around to see she had risen partially on one of her elbows, the other arm stretched outward to keep him still. Her eyes were surprisingly free of tears, only the slightest quiver of her lips gave away her emotions.

"Don't?"

Kagome dropped her chin, lowering her gaze to the bed and using her hair to hide herself, "Please…" she squeezed his arm, hand shaking with effort, "Please don't leave me."

"Leave? Leave you?" his brows knitted in confusion as he leaned forward, brushing her hair aside and cradling her face in the palm of his hand, "Kag, I'm not going anywhere, I'm just going to the kitchen." The expression on her face when he finally managed to get all of her hair out of the way nearly crushed him. If this was only a glimpse of the pain she was feeling… Dammit, Kagome! Why won't you just tell me? I can help you, don't you trust me?

The hanyou lay down to reclaim the spot he had momentarily left behind, and she quickly stretched out against him, nearly curling around his body. Surprised by the strength of her need, her desperation, his body fell into an absolute stillness as she adjusted, allowing her to treat him as though he was part of the bedding. She finally settled with a small sigh of satisfaction, nestled on his chest with her hair spilled across his arm and onto the pillow, her fingers already tracing patterns on the upper part of his stomach.

Like it or not Kagome, we WILL talk. But for now I'll let it be until you're strong enough to talk. He hugged her, both of his arms wrapped tight around her while he buried his nose at the top of her head. It wasn't until a soft sound escaped her lips - one of protest rather than contentment -- that he realized he was practically squeezing her. He loosened his hold until she was comfortable again, one of her legs draped over his while he gently stroked the full length of her hair.

The room soon grew so quiet that he thought she was asleep. He rested his cheek on her, a slow blink of his eyes before focusing on the illuminist moon which hung between his curtains while listening to the soft sound of her every breath. He frowned, something about the moon tugged at a thought he could not recall, something he needed to remember. The elusive nature of the memory angered him, bothered him to the point that he considered getting out of bed to flip through the volumes in his library. But then she moved -- a tiny movement of her head that tickled his chin - and all was completely forgotten. Every thought shifted to the woman in his arm.

"Tell me a story," Kagome finally asked, maneuvering her position until she was able to look up at him wide, wakeful eyes.

Her request made him smile even though he was never much of a storyteller, but if that was what she needed... He brushed his lips against her once then pulled back. "What do you want to hear?"

"Something with a happy ending, something romantic…"

Inuyasha took in a deep draw of air as he considered carefully, racking his brain for stories he had heard from his mother when he was a child. There were none he could remember clearly, only the generic storyline of a prince coming into the rescue for his princess, but there was one he knew so well. He tucked her closer to his arms before he began, "There once was a boy who was alone. He didn't know what love was and didn't think that anyone could ever care for him, let alone love him. For many years, he was alone and his heart turned cold. Then one day he met a girl who proved to him just how wrong he was. She made him feel human. And for the first time, he was finally happy."

"Did they live happily ever after?"

He tensed for a moment before answering, "They have to."

***

The obnoxious ringing woke her up with a start. Years of training had the exterminator up in an instant, her eyes wide and alert with no remnant of sleep as they searched the room thoroughly. She groaned loudly and fell dramatically back into bed when she realized that her opponent was nothing more than the phone on her nightstand and that it was nearly four in the morning.

Sango rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Who on earth would be calling them at this hour? One name came into mind. The only person she could think of with so little consideration for others was good ol' Inuyasha, always barking out orders like they were his servants - eager to do his biddings. He was also the only one who would be awake at this time. With an angry huff, she picked up the receiver, ready to chew him out for being so thoughtless, "Hello?!"

"Miroku?" a sultry and feminine voice answered back to her scratchy one.

Definitely not Inuyasha.

Definitely not a man.

She blushed and cleared her throat, trying to rid her voice of the deep roughness that came from having just woken up - or at least she hoped that was the case. Being mistaken for a man was definitely not flattering. "Oh, umm…," she cleared her throat again, "This is his roommate."

The woman laughed. "I'm sorry, but can you get him please. I need to talk to him."

"I think he's still asleep." Doing what everyone else is supposed to be doing at four in the morning, she thought to herself. She ran a free hand through her bed-tussled hair, working out some of its tangles, "Do you want me to give him a message instead and he can call you back later?"

"I rather not. It's important."

"Alright, let me go get him," she answered back tensely, practically forcing each word out of her mouth as she tossed her cover aside. `Rude rude rude!' she repeated crossly to herself as she walked out into the adjacent living room.

He was still asleep on the sofa bed with a book draped over his chest.  She gulped. His bare chest.  Her palms grew sweaty as she took cautious steps towards him until she was by his bedside.  She tentatively removed the book, jumping slightly when her fingers touched bare skin that was as hard as it was soft. 

She stood quiet for the moment to observe him, before sitting down next to him, careful to avoid shaking the bed.  From the start, she had found his action to be commendable.  He had allowed her to stay in his apartment without asking for rent and had even given up the comfort of his own bed and the privacy of his own bedroom for her.  Of course, she would have gladly taken the couch with no complaints, but he was true to his gentleman fashion.  Well except for the seemingly uncontrollable urges of his hands.

Sango couldn't help but smile as she continued to watch him.  The woman on the phone was far from her mind.  She was fascinated.  His reading glasses had slid to the end of his nose, giving him the comical appearance of an absentminded professor.  She leaned forward to take if off for him but strong hand suddenly circled her wrist.  Her body was frozen even as her heart did wild somersaults inside the confinement of her ribcage.  His arms went around her torso, trapping her in place.  She could have broken free with a simple maneuver but the thought of finally being so close to her roommate made her hesitant.

"M-Miroku?" she stammered, daring to look down at him. His eyes were still closed and his breathing was even and steady, giving no indication of alertness. He's still asleep?

One of his hands moved to sweep her hair aside before he pulled her down further on top of him and buried his face in her neck, his nose nuzzling. "Sango," he murmured, her name rolled off his mouth in a sensual manner that sent a wave of shivers down her spine to the very tip of her toes. She would have gone on believing that he was still asleep if not for the familiar feel of his hand on her rear, squeezing gently.

"Miroku!" she nearly squealed.

He opened his eyes with a crafty smile. "Sango, such a lovely sight to wake up to." He touched her cheek gently, violet eyes twinkling with mischief as he ran his hand up and down her back. "Finally decided to stop fighting it and take advantage of me while I'm still asleep?"

All the blood seemed to rush straight to her cheeks. "N-no no… it's not what you think. I wasn't- I'm not…" she protested frantically with words that sounded like gibberish to her own ears as she tried to push her body off of his, wedging her hands between them so that his chest was no longer pressed so intimately against hers. Her maneuvering accomplished nothing for he suddenly seemed ten times stronger than before, his arms an unyieldable brand of solid steel across her back. Miroku rolled, reversing their positions so that he could free his arms and close the distance between them.

Sango was immobile, frozen solid as she watched his lips approaching with one very clear goal in mind. It scared her, not because she didn't want him to, but of how much she wanted it. "Phone!" she blurted out in a flash of panic, right before he kissed her.

He drew back immediately, puzzled. "Phone?"

"There's-" Sango began almost breathlessly and had to stop momentarily to calm her wavering voice, "There's someone waiting on the line for you."

"Inuyasha?" he concluded and a look of exasperation crossed his face. Obviously, she wasn't the only one who thought the hanyou was the only one rude enough to call at this hour.

"No, a woman."

"Who…?"

"She didn't say," she responded a little more forcefully than she had intended.

Miroku got off her wordlessly and went inside the bedroom, closing the door for privacy. She lay still for a long while, staring up at the ceiling with eyes wider than saucers. His scent surrounded her in rich tendrils and she could still feel the heat of his body. She raised both hands to her bright red cheeks, and shook her head from side to side. Oh gosh, what is wrong with me?

The door reopened before she could come up with a sensible answer. Sango sat up quickly, raising his blanket to her chin even though she was fully covered in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. The expression on his face was the most serious she had seen of him as he sat down on the edge of the sofa bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked carefully, her shyness suddenly forgotten.

He ran his hand through his hair, the corner of his mouth lifted into a small shaky grin. His hand covered hers warmly and the thought of pulling away never crossed her mind. "That was the seer."

"The-"

"Tomorrow night, Sango," he interrupted, "She said the Shikon no Tama will appear tomorrow night."

***

She had just fallen asleep when the phone rang, a loud shrill cutting across the silence of the room. The curse that came immediately from her right told her she wasn't the only one who was awakened rudely. Her eyes opened drowsily and she watched as he reached across to the phone on the nightstand, arms still securely wrapped around her shoulder. He snatched the phone off the cradle with a dangerous growl that she could feel rumbling from his chest. It died down to a silent snarl when she touched his cheek, rubbing it gently as she would to an agitated animal.

Inuyasha seemed to have calmed slightly, but still, she couldn't do anything about the words that came tumbling out from his mouth, "The fuck you want?"

"Miroku," a dark growl came forth as he sat up, a dark pool of silk around his waist, "You better have a damn good reason for calling this late."

Kagome rose also and crawled to the space behind him, knocking the pillow aside. His back and shoulders were like a rigid board as she guided him to lean against her, one leg on each side of his body with her knees hugging his ribcage. She tenderly pressed her lips against the crook of his neck, before resting her cheek on his back, her arms wrapped around him.

The vibration of his voice mixed with the steady pace of his heart beat lured her back into her interrupted slumber. It wasn't until the brightness of the new dawn -- its ray falling directly across her face - that she realized she had fallen asleep. The last thing she could remember was the mention of the Shikon no Tama and the sweet taste of Inuyasha's lips upon her own. She yawned softly and reached to her right. Instead of Inuyasha, she discovered a note in his place telling her he was out running a few errands and would be back before noon.

It took less than a heartbeat for her to realize she was alone. Completely and utterly even though he had promised to return in a few hours. Kagome grabbed his pillow and buried her face in it, his scent offering some sort of comfort as hot tears returned to her eyes. Would it always be like this-- that she could only keep herself together when Inuyasha was around? His pillowcase was soon soaked with tears that wouldn't stop falling.

Oh gosh I have to stop… she told herself as forced herself to rise. She staggered out of bed and into the adjourning bathroom, blood draining from each knuckle as she clenched the edge of the marble counter. She didn't need to look at her reflection in the mirror to know she was a pathetic sight to gaze upon. She turned on the faucet, repeatedly splashing ice, cold water on her face as sobs began to die from her throat. He'll know if I can't stop crying. He'll know!

"I can't let him find out about Souta," she spoke out loud to herself as she shut the faucet. I don't know what I'll do if he knows… Inuyasha would want to do the right thing, the sensible thing. He would try to convince her nothing more could be done for Souta and that he was better off that. Then he would kill him for her.

Drying her face with a wash cloth, she stole a quick look at herself. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot but were no longer swollen. For me, he'll do it for me. I don't want to end up resenting him for that. God, it would kill me… I love him too much. There had to be something she could do, a spell she could find to turn her brother back. She refused to believe this was it. She couldn't have been the only one who had wanted to reverse vampirism.

A small, trembling smile appeared on her face and a flare of hope rose from deep inside of her as she walked determinedly out of the room and toward Inuyasha's study. Volumes and volumes of books lined the shelves at each wall. They were books on vampires and the supernatural he had collected over the years, most inherited from his late father. One of them would have the answer she need.

Kagome glanced at the clock, wondering how much time she had before he was home. Chewing worrily on her lip, she estimated around three hours at the most. I need to hurry. Using some kind of intuition, she quickly selected several books off the shelf and carried the heavy load to Inuyasha's desk, balancing them cautiously in her arms.

The book at the top of the pile was leather-bound, dyed in a dark shade of mahogany. Sitting stiffly and almost at the edge of his armchair, she ran her hand carefully across the rugged cover, her fingers tracing at the undecipherable symbols that were etched in gold. Age had dimmed them from the brightness they once were, but they were still beautiful nonetheless. She tentatively opened to the middle of the book, her nose wrinkling at the musky smell that emanated from the yellowed pages.

"Oh crap…" Kagome groaned, already feeling the onset of a mild headache. Words, letters arranged in a way she could not begin to understand stared back at her, along with a picture of a phoenix rising from flames. She recalled seeing Inuyasha completely engrossed in reading and translating them, sometimes staying up all night until she finally had to drag him back to bed. He had told her once that more than half the books in his library were written in languages long forgotten. That had led to a question about his real age, but he'd laughed and replied he was lucky that she was legal. She didn't ask again after that even though he was just probably messing with her.

She flipped opened the next book and breathed a loud sigh of relief when she was greeted with something readable. Large, attentive eyes skimmed as quickly as they could over each page, stopping every time the word vampire was mentioned. Soon, the desk and the floor around it were piled high with books of all color and sizes. Kagome sat in the middle of it all, eyelids heavy as lead, threatening to flutter shut from exhaustion. A near scream escaped from her lips as she slammed her fist to the ground realizing her effort had been fruitless. She bent over and buried her face in her hands, almost breaking down into another set of tears. "Not one," she muttered tiredly, "Not a single one."

So engrossed in her failure that she didn't hear the front door opening or the footsteps approaching steadily behind her. His voice caused her to jump with a start, "What are you doing?"

***

A/N: Winding down to the last two chapters I think… Whew, got this done before I had to leave for a few days. The reason why this chapter took so long is because I've been working on rewriting the entire beginning of BDL. Since it'll be so different, I'm not sure if I should post it as a different story or replace the chapters. Anyway, sign up at the link below if you want to receive emails regarding updates and stuff.

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If anyone is interested, I'm almost done with TSTAS 3. Sign up if you want to get an email for when the chapter comes out.

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