InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bittersweet Rhapsody ❯ The Dam Bursts ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and if I did, would I be writing FANfiction for it?

Sorry for the delay, I'm getting there! I've had a lot going on.

prophet 04: Yeah, I've noticed that the two are similar as well. Guess I like love/hate fics a little too much. 0_o I've also posted the eleventh chapter of the Chrono Trigger fic, so be sure to check that out. And just between you and me, the Chrono Trigger fic is on ff.net finished under my other penname, Yuffie-Girl. It's the original one, though. The mediaminer version has a lot of improvements correctionwise, including some re-editing of the more unPC jokes.

Also thank you to angel0fs0rr0w666 for reviewing as well! :)

Kagome could have absolutely died of shock. Not only were Inuyasha's lips tenderly brushing hers, but he had done so after their largest blowout yet as well. (What's going on? I thought he hated me,) she questioned to herself as she looked into his incalculably dark eyes. He grabbed her shoulders almost painfully in response, allowing a mere second to go by before one of his hands reached up to brush her dripping hair.

He only reluctantly pulled away for breath about ten seconds later, his equally soaked hair grazing hers as he did so. "What are you d-" Kagome began, but she was cut off when he dove in for her again, this time almost violently, her body gladly crashing into his. She allowed herself to enjoy it this time as he slowly forced her mouth open, his tongue mingling with hers forcefully, and as his hands firmly wrapped themselves around her curvy waist.

Their first kiss... For the first time ever, she was this close to Inuyasha...it felt as wonderful as she could have imagined, ten times better than anything Hojo had done, hell, who was Hojo, anyway?! She could have cared less as Inuyasha kissed her in the dark gorge, the patter of the still driving rain sounding akin to a tinkling waterfall... Everything felt perfect, except-

"You called me a slut!" she spat before she knew what she was saying the minute he pulled away. She didn't want to ruin the moment, but...

He stared at her gravely for a moment, his hands firmly clamped upon her shoulders, and then slowly replied, "Forget it. I didn't mean it. I was just pissed---at Kouga."

"But you still-"

"Listen, forget it, OK?!" he interrupted, almost angrily. "I just - I just - oh I don't know - I guess I was afraid that you might have actually wanted it."

"What?!" Kagome said indignantly. "I most certainly did NOT want his - his - his slobbering wolf-love! You're paranoid, you know that?!"

"Well, how was I to know?! I'm not a damn fortuneteller!"

Oh boy. Here they were, having just shared a tender, intimate moment, and less than two minutes later they were quarreling like they always had. (Well, at least the bone-crushing tension is all gone,) Kagome thought tentatively. (...Or is it?)

"Listen," she said firmly, "let's just go back to the cave. Neither of us has had any sleep, and I'm ready to drop off standing."

They soundlessly turned and headed back for their smelly, dank little pit, which seemed cozy and welcoming in comparison to the storm raging outside. Kagome, blanket and all, made a beeline for the fire, but Inuyasha hung back, staring outside. (Oh, not this,) she inwardly groaned. (Was that kiss for nothing, just to keep me here?! Is he back to his old self now?!)

However, her fears were grossly unfounded, as Inuyasha swiftly joined her five seconds later, sitting down so closely that their bodies brushed. She managed a sidelong glance at him as he sat next to her in an awkward silence. (Look at him... He obviously wants to be by me, but he looks uncomfortable. ...Something doesn't seem right. ...Was he REALLY as close to Kikyo as I perceived?! I - I have to know...)

"Inuyasha?" she asked him bluntly, reddening slightly. "What happened to Kikyo?"

There was a good ten second silence after her question, but finally he spoke, her eyes locking with hers. "...Kikyo's in the past, alright? I don't even know the whole story myself, and I really don't want to talk about it... But remember this: even I'm not dumbassed enough to go and run off with Kikyo when I - when I'm with you."

"But why were you so angry at me when I came back? I didn't do it intentionally..."

"I felt like slime, all right?" he replied shortly, looking away. "I felt like a total sleaze, doing what I did. And I didn't want you to hurt again, so I-" He swallowed, unable to finish his sentence. "That's the real reason I did what I did. I'm not mad at all that you ran off and stopped looking for the jewel shards; in fact, I would have been surprised if you hadn't."

Kagome stared at him for a minute. She didn't know - she didn't know the story, nor did she care to know... But somehow she felt that she could trust him, despite his past transgressions... In fact, she would trust him. "That - that's good to hear," she said aloud, not able to help stifling a yawn. "But right now I'm tired - let's sort this all out in the morning."

"I'm tired too. If that dimwitted-wolf was going to come after us, then we would have saw him hours ago. But we've gotta leave tomorrow morning-"

"I know, I know... But let's not worry about it. At least you'll be a demon again by morning. And anyway-" she added, squinting at the unwelcoming, rock hard floor. "I'll be having enough trouble trying to sleep on this damn floor."

He stared at her for a moment, but then, without so much as a word of permission, he grabbed ahold of her, lying her on her back and reclining himself. She found herself firmly held in place by his muscular arms, against his hard but very comfortable-feeling body (which was still deliciously shirtless)... She had the damnedest feeling that she was going to sleep well tonight, she noted as he lightly gave her one last gentle kiss on the cheek...

Inuyasha smiled to himself as he held her tightly, her fragrant hair fanning out against his face. Now he had her for the night...how could he have known even two hours ago that it was going to end up like THIS?! Maybe he should do crazy, impulsive things more often...

Kagome sighed happily as she allowed the wisps of slumber to overtake her. She could hardly believe what had happened, but she now felt at peace, she could take on anything, absolutely anything...

She dreamed differently that night...

*^&^&^

"-desired me, yearned for me-"

"-to throw it all away?"

"Listen, I-"

"-can't hurt her anymore! She's managed it all for awhile now, but-"

"-care about the likes of her, when you-"

"-was it ever real? People change-"

"-different times-"

"-different places-"

"-but I loved you-"

"-foolish demon boy..."

^*&*&(*##%

Yawning groggily, Kagome opened her sleep-filled eyes with some effort, having seemingly slept hard. (But not enough,) she thought sleepily, letting her eyes close once again. (Huh, it must be noon and I'm still---WHAT?! NOON?!) She momentarily panicked, her eyes starting open as if she had had a terrible nightmare. There was much to do, even if it was summer---she had to help Grandpa with his half-cocked herbal remedies, blessing and bundling them as was the custom of the Higurashi priests, and then she had to drive Sota to soccer practice, and then---

And then she saw the dazzling early afternoon sunlight shining into the cave opening.

"Wha---" She stifled a yawn, shaking her head groggily as she fuzzily recalled what was going on. It was a strange dream that she had just had; only vague shapes floating around in a hazy netherworld, their voices fading and coming back like a badly-tuned radio, were clues as to what her brain had conjured up... What had it meant? Her memories of it were somehow disquieting... And then there was what had happened the night previous... (Was that real? Did Inuyasha REALLY kiss me?! Nah, I must be whacked-)

She tried to sit up, but the pair of strong arms holding her in place refused to budge.

(My God, it WAS real,) she thought in awe as she inclined her head slightly to stare at Inuyasha's sleeping form, which was now looking back to normal. So it HAD really happened...she had practically expected to wake up in the morning only to find that it had been a dream filled with wishful thinking.

He was quite a beautiful creature, demon or not, she concluded as she continued to gaze at him, even if he DID have a grip of steel. In fact, she greatly preferred his half-demon form to the human one... (I wonder if he knows how cute he looks when he sleeps...and if he snores.) She giggled softly as he snored on, his fangs poking out of his slightly open mouth. (Nah, he'd never admit it. He'd kill me if I even suggested it.)

However, as much as she would have liked to have been snuggled up against him all day, she realized that they'd both better get up and get their asses in gear. Miroku and Sango were probably far away from here, wherever they were... (And hopefully not lying dead up on the mountain somewhere,) she thought depressedly as she continued to try to wriggle out of Inuyasha's grasp. No such luck, she thought as his clawed hand dug into her arm almost painfully. She'd have to wake him up...

"Inuyasha!"

"..."

"Inuyasha!"

"..."

"Inuyasha!"

".. ."

She realized that normal means couldn't be used to wake him up after the third time. Wriggling her head slightly so that his silver hair entangled with hers and that her face was close to one of his dog ears, she garnered some breath and screeched loudly, "INUYASHAAAAAAA!!!!"

"Dammit, Kagome!" came the groggy reply. "I hear you already! Whaddaya want?"

"For you to remove your arms!" she hissed angrily. "They're like the damn Jaws of Life, holding me like that!"

"Oh, right," he murmured, delicately pulling away from her. She forced her way up to face him, almost laughing when she caught real sight of him. He was staring at her, looking slightly dazed, one of his ears (not coincidentally, the one she had yelled into) drooping pathetically. Somehow she got the sneaking suspicion that she was the only one whom he would allow to see him like this...

"We'd -um- better go," she said nervously, suddenly feeling embarrassed by his presence. Dammit, she was feeling like she was in middle school, blushing and acting shy like this!

"Yeah, probably," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "Looks like it's way past noon out th-WHAAAAT?!" he shrieked, suddenly galvanized into action. "It's afternoon?! We've gotta get out of here! Why didn't you wake me up?!?" he chided her angrily, throwing on his shirt and haori.

"I dunno, I guess I just liked you as my own personal pillow."

He stood up, ignoring her comment as he steadily padded towards the cave entrance. "C'mon, c'mon, get your stuff already! Let's get the hell out of here!"

$^%&*^*&^*^

They both stumbled out into the strong afternoon sunlight about five minutes later, squinting as the day's brightness caused them to become momentarily blind. Unlike the previous night, the weather was calm as it could be in the mountains, warm with a slight westerly breeze running along the mountaintops. "Where are we headed, anyway?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, who was standing further down the gorge, cautiously sniffing at the breeze.

"We'll get out of the gorge going that way," he explained, pointing to the end where the gorge winded around a corner and out of sight. "I smell water over there, and besides, wolfbrain -er- Kouga is down the other way." (He had added that last bit after a vicious look on Kagome's part).

"All right then," she replied crisply, walking up next to him. "Let's hurry. But then again..." She smiled evilly as a wicked idea formed in her mind. "Why would we need to find more water...WHEN THERE'S PLENTY HERE!" Without warning she suddenly kicked up one of the numerous mudpuddles gracing the gorge, splashing a bewildered Inuyasha with mud and gritty water.

She thought she had gone too far when he murderously glared at her in reply, but relief washed over her when he calmly broke out into a smile and quietly stated, completely dripping and soaked, "Think you're smart, eh? ...THINK AGAIN!" Soon she as well was entirely doused in the grainy goo and was desperately running in the opposite direction, trying to avoid yet another kicked-up puddle. She bent down to grab some real mud and somehow managed to hit him in the face, but he just picked up speed and started to throw mud at her himself.

"Heyyyyy! No fair!" she giggled as a handful of it whistled past her ear. "You're a demon!"

"Demon or not, you started it!" he yelled back, throwing yet more mud.

"Race you to the water!" she called happily over her shoulder as it hit her back.

"You're on!" he heard her cry behind her, a little too close for comfort. Seemed that she'd better try to redeem that C+ she had gotten in Track last spring...

%^%&^*(&(

The water Inuyasha had smelled actually turned out to be a pristine, sparking little waterfall, falling from the top of the gorge down into a small, shallow pool. "Bathwater, finally!" Kagome shrieked in sheer elation, temporarily forgetting the mudfight. "Look, Inuyasha, there's a waterfall too!" She ran up to the pool's edge, immediately cupping her hands and greedily drinking its crystal clear water.

Inuyasha, who had been lagging behind in order to play around with her, grumpily strode up next to her, a ball of mud still encrusted in his hand. "We are NOT stopping here just so you can bathe!" he demanded, scowling at her reflection in the pool. "We have a to-do list!"

She retorted, looking up from her handful of water, "Oh, just hush, cranky! What's wrong with being a little clean, especially after you decided to throw mud at me?"

"Me?!" was the outraged reply. "That was YOU!"

"Well, STILL-"

"Forget it!" he shot back, starting to walk around yet another bend ahead. "Stay here while I go scout ahead! Have the water bottles filled up by the time I get back, and NO bathing!"

"Hmph!" she sniffed the minute he was gone, beginning to untie the string she was using to hold her blanket up. "And that comes from a guy who bathes rarely...if ever!" That comment seemed to hold true in her experience, as never in her times with Inuyasha did he seem to go off to bathe, but that wouldn't exactly explain that deliciously musky, clean scent that had seemed to emanate from him the previous night... She shook her head, jumping into the pleasantly fresh water without thinking twice, her head completely immersed in the clouds.

Now she was even more confused about Inuyasha. Just twenty-four hours ago it had been all cut and dry (ie: that he absolutely HATED her), but now it wasn't so simple. What HAD been his motivation to kiss her, anyway? Did he really, truly have feelings of some sort for her...or did he just want a warm body to snuggle up to at night, regardless of his hatred for her? His previous actions towards her were still going unchecked, the ones concerning Kikyo not the least. They had such an odd relationship the way it was, one minute quarreling and kissing the next. She was sure that he had never acted that way towards Kikyo... Was there trouble looming on the horizon? The problem was, she reflected as she lightly massaged her hair with her hands, her long absence from the Feudal Era had caused any knowledge of Inuyasha's recent actions to go down the proverbial toilet. What had he been doing all of this time, anyway? Had he spent it with Kikyo, or had something else hap-

"HEY!" a familiar, outraged voice vented nearby. "Didn't I tell you NOT to go in there?!" Sinking down to her knees near the waterfall so as to not show off her "assets", Kagome watched as Inuyasha stamped into view, looking unconditionally pissed as he realized that she had jumped in the pool anyway. He stopped at the water's edge, crossing his arms and scowling. "We don't have TIME to be screwing around like this! Get out so we can be out of this dump by dark!"

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him defiantly. "Turn around and let me get clean first!"

He rolled his eyes frustratedly. "All right then, if you want to play hardball...then I'll have to carry you off bodily!"

Kagome shrieked angrily at his sheer daringness as he hopped into the pool as well, clothes and all, and closed in on her quickly, not allowing her a chance to escape. She backed into the small hollow that the waterfall had carved into the rock over the years, but that just caused him to trap her more effectively. Soon he was just inches away from her, smiling wryly as he prepared to heave her up over his shoulder. "You really ought to listen to demons, wench, they could carve you up in a second..."

The next thing she knew they were kissing again, both of them getting sprayed by the waterfall's drizzle but neither of them caring. Kagome let out a muffled moan in the back of her throat as he pressed her more tightly against the cold rock, his mouth locked almost forcefully against hers. Shifting slightly against the rock wall in order to fit more comfortably, she allowed him to trail down to her chin, to her collarbone, down to her breasts... She let out a gasp as he nipped at one lightly with his fangs; he ignored her and continued on, his hands untangling themselves from her hair and going further down to the small of her back, which tingled delightfully as his calloused, clawed hands came into direct contact with her soft, sensitive flesh.

"I - I hate you," she panted unconvincingly, her hand timidly running from the nape of his neck up to one of his doggy ears, which she gently tweaked.

"No you don't," he growled in reply, his mouth again meeting with her own. He roughly pulled her closer as his tongue delved in deeper and deeper; it seemed to Kagome that now he was emitting a low purr from his throat, as if deeply satisfied...

He was removing his haori and shirt underneath now; he threw them into the water carelessly, never staying out of contact with her for more than a few seconds. She could feel his bare chest against hers; it felt warm to the touch as she stroked it, streaked with cold droplets from the waterfall. She could even feel his hard-on throbbing against her stomach; it was then that she realized where they were both going. Nervous and excited at the same time, she pressed against him more, allowing him to nuzzle the crook of her neck. (Oh my God, I can't believe I'm going to do this...) she thought as he fumbled with the string of his pants.

However...

"SIT!" Her demand rang loud and clear across the gorge, causing Inuyasha to hit the pool bottom with a loud splash. He sputtered and floundered for a little bit, surprised at her sudden action, but he then composed himself and got back up, shaking his wet head like a dog. "What are you-"

Kagome was still panting heavily. "Do you - do you realize what we were just gonna do?!" she asked him, dropping down into the water as she began to feel embarrassed about standing naked in front of him. She still didn't know if she was doing the right thing; right at the moment she would have been happy to let him screw her senseless, but---

"Yeah, I know what we were doing, but-" he began, but got cut off by the austere look on her face.

"We were about to have sex under a waterfall," Kagome started quietly, not looking him in the eye. "I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if I want to do this right now. This isn't the time or the place, Inuyasha. Right now our friends could be dead up on the mountain somewhere." She looked upwards sadly, the bright afternoon sun cruelly blinding her eyes. "I - I want to do this, but I - I just CAN'T right now." She suddenly turned around ashamedly, trying her damnedest to choke back the tears threatening to spill out.

"H-hey!" She heard his voice ring at her concernedly from behind. "Don't cry! It's not that bad! Uhh---please?" he attempted to beg as he wallowed up to her, his hand closing around her shoulder. If there was anything in the world that he couldn't handle, he reflected, it was Kagome crying. He remembered the first time she had cried, during their first battle with Sesshomaru; he had felt powerless when the tears had started to pour out of those big chocolate brown eyes. Demons he could handle, demons with their sharp claws, poisonous fangs, and rancid breath, but not crying!

"Come on," he said quietly, tugging at her shoulder. "Let's take a nap or something. We can travel during the night." She turned around and nodded silently, allowing him to lead her away from the waterfall.

Onshore they picked up their clothes, Kagome putting on her "dress" and Inuyasha laying his shirt and haori out to dry. They then both proceeded to sit near the pool, cooling their feet in the clear water as they dug through Kagome's pack to find something to eat. Kagome couldn't help but smile sadly as she proffered a handful of dried meat to Inuyasha; Sango was definitely the practical one of the group, as she had packed practically all of the bags to the top with food. Would they ever find Sango, she and their other friends? She hoped to the fates that they would; there was no way that the two of them could take on their task alone...

After their short meal they then agreed to take the rest of the day off until nightfall; they had been delayed for so long now that a few hours wouldn't make much difference in the search for the others. Kagome moaned softly as Inuyasha slowly snaked his arms around her, giving her one last lingering kiss before he lay down beside her. (I'm glad he's not mad,) she thought gratefully as she snuggled up against him affectionately. (I'm just not ready yet. I'm just not sure yet..)

(Dammit, Inuyasha! Why can't you just be predictable like Hojo?!)

Author's Note: Well, that's all for now... You'll be seeing later on that the conflict slowly shifts from their relationship to Inuyasha's intention of becoming a full-fledged demon. This could cause a big problem later on...

&nbs p;