InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dogs in Tokyo ❯ Chapter 30 ( Chapter 30 )

Chapter 30

"I'm going to be leaving shortly, Kagome. I want you and Inuyasha to stay here until matters are straightened out a bit better. I really think there are too many questions still up in the air for us to just walk away."

"Oh, but Mama…" Kagome jiggled unhappily on one foot while she watched her mother make up the bed in one of the apartment's guest rooms. Higurashi-San couldn't see leaving such a thing for the maids when she was perfectly capable of doing it. She would have given the entire house a thorough cleaning if she had thought she could get away with it.

"Kagome Chan, I really have to get on with preparations for your wedding, Souta may as well come home with me now and Jijii-Chan has obligations at the shrine."

"Well, of course…But why can't Inuyasha and I come home too? Sesshoumaru has the staff of two heads back and It's sad about Rin but…" She trailed off as her mother looked at her with reproach in her eyes.

"Kagome, do you think they're just going to let Houjou-Chan go home?" Higurashi-San inquired gently and held her hand out for a pillowcase.

The girl passed over the pillowcase automatically before the implications of what her mother had asked sank in. She gulped and her eyes widened. "T-they won't? Why not?"

Her mother rolled her own eyes expressively. "Men, you know. Houjou-Kun knows about daemons now. So they're likely to keep him locked up here along with Ryosei-San until they figure out what to do about his memory." Her movements were brisk, indicating disapproval.

Kagome pared a glance over her shoulder at the partially open bedroom door and lowered her voice. "Mama, have you been watching too many of those mystery-thrillers or something? Houjou-Kun would never spill the beans to the authorities. Even if he did talk, who would believe him?"

"Oh, I know that dear." Her mother did not trouble to lower hers. "But it's a matter of convincing Jukuryo-San and Sesshoumaru-Sama of that. Mark my words; they will not trust him." She gathered up the bundle of used sheets and turned to the door. "So, that's why I want you to stay and persuade them otherwise. That, and keep the peace between Sesshoumaru and our Inuyasha."

Kagome reluctantly accepted what her mother said and started to help gather her family's scattered belongings before seeing them out the door. Inuyasha was nowhere to be found and Jukuryo seemed to be involved in interviews with Jaken and Ryosei-San. Sesshoumaru was giving the Higurashis a lift home and seemed to be actually having a conversation of some sort with Jijii-Chan as they left.

Nonplussed, Kagome waved and shut the apartment door behind them. Over the years her ideas of Sesshoumaru had been a cautious mirror of Inuyasha's own. From their first meeting with that simply abysmal trick involving the apparent revival of Inuyasha's mother to actually staying as a guest in his Tokyo apartment seemed too unlikely a course of events to be believed. Here she paused and shrugged. It seemed Sesshoumaru was likely to continue to be a walking contradiction, much like his brother.

Wondering where Inuyasha had gotten to she went into the kitchen in search of something to do. She did not know Houjou was standing frozen in the shadows of the back hallway having overheard her conversation with her mother. Nor did she see the angry hurt in his eyes.

:::0:::

Inuyasha was bored with food and TV and was wandering the apartment in search of Kagome when he spotted his quarry in the front hall. He frowned mightily, Kagome was balancing a set of metal trays and disassembled steaming racks precariously on one hip as she jiggled open the door to a pantry next to the kitchen. That was fine if she wanted to waste time that way. It was the fact that he also spotted Houjou walking up behind her and lifting a hand to touch her shoulder that made him frown. Houjou reached forward just as the door came open and she stepped out of his reach into the small pantry.

In a silent rush Inuyasha caught at the back of Houjou's collar and gave a light yank that nearly pulled the boy backwards off of his feet. He held him within the curve of his arm with his hand fisted into the back of Houjou's shirt. "Where do you think you are going?" He breathed, nearly nose to nose with him. Beyond them the door swung shut again behind an oblivious Kagome.

Houjou hesitated, bathed in hot, tea-scented breath. The hand holding the back of his shirt flexed a little and an over-strained button popped off. "I was trying to get Kagome alone." He found himself whispering too. "So I could talk to her. Like in a private conversation…?"

Inuyasha appeared to consider this and the human boy was forced to wait as the hanyou did not release him. "Have you ever talked to Kagome alone?" The question sounded almost reasonable; as if Inuyasha honestly wanted to know.

The human boy stiffened his back, ignoring the uncomfortable stress the position was putting on his armpits. "Of course. There's nothing wrong with that." The youkai holding his shirt remained silent, face still and eyes expectant. 'Might as well take the plunge.' Houjou thought, 'He really needs setting straight on what's acceptable behavior here.' Houjou's eyes caught and held Inuyasha's. "We've even been out alone together on a couple of dates." He said stoutly.

There was a sudden, nearly weightless, sensation of whirling and an equally sudden impact. Houjou found himself being held several feet above the ground against the exterior wall of the living room, quite some distance away from their starting point in the front foyer.

Inuyasha turned Houjou's face down towards his own with a clawed hand curved at the back of his neck. "Oh really?" He spoke in a low, vibrating snarl. His irises began to flicker red through the gold and a mad little blue light seemed to shine in the pupils.

Houjou gulped.

"Savor those moments then for you'll never speak to her alone again." Inuyasha stopped, as if fighting some interior battle, and suddenly dropped Houjou to the floor. He turned his back and walked away, returning to the front foyer, closing the living room door quietly behind him.

Houjou picked himself up, pulling his shirt straight and finding the collar and shoulders neatly sliced clear through at several points.

"You are a very lucky boy." Jukuryo's dry voice nearly made Houjou jump straight out of his skin. He turned and found the old youkai leaning against the frame of the doorway into Sesshoumaru's study. Beyond him he could see Ryosei sitting in a chair by the desk "The inu-youkai are notoriously territorial and short tempered where their mates are concerned. He must have a real reason for being so forbearing with you. I wouldn't push things any further if I were in your shoes though. The girl's taken: Get used to it." With that, he too left the room and closed the door leaving Houjou to look about and discover Jaken the toad daemon sitting on the couch staring coldly at him. Jaken didn't speak, only changed the channel and kept a tight grip on the remote. Houjou was left to the enjoy the tender mercies of the bento box lunch tray and the inanity of daytime TV in silence.

:::0o0:::

Inuyasha eased the living room door closed behind him and paced softly forwards to the door that Kagome had gone through. He could hear her humming to herself under her breath as she shifted things about. He debated waiting out in the hallway for her to finish but decided against it. It was too good a chance to get her alone to waste. Blocking the knowledge that he was acting partially to get one (or more) up on Houjou from his mind he eased the door to the pantry open. Sesshoumaru was heading across town, Jukuryo was busy and nobody else counted in Inuyasha's opinion; so he was free to act.

Kagome was standing on tiptoe on the precarious support of the bottom of an upturned plastic bucket, attempting to ease one of the steaming racks into an empty spot on a shelf well above her head. There was a stool in the kitchen that she could have stood on but that would have meant another trip. As it was, she teetered precariously and was just about to stumble back off when an arm clasped around her waist and a clawed hand grabbed the steam tray above her head and easily maneuvered it onto the high shelf.

"Thank you." she said with a smile as she turned within the circle of Inuyasha's arm. He instinctively tightened his grip as he felt her move and she found herself looking down at the top of his head where it was now firmly nestled between her breasts, ears stiffly perked. "Oops. Sorry." She said. The ears quivered and she felt, rather than heard, the vibration of a faint "Woof."

After a moment he reluctantly made as if to release her only to pull her against him again as the bucket chose that instant to buckle and tip over. She grabbed at his shoulders, fingers digging into his shirt as he eased her down his body to where her toes could touch the floor. She kept her arms around his neck when he loosened his grasp upon her and lifted his head so that he could see.

He looked lazy and pleased, golden eyes half-lidded as he inhaled deeply. He could taste her scent and still feel the warmth of her body pressed against his. This was more like it. She still had not released his shoulders and her face was a little flushed. Her eyes had lost none of the depth that sadness had given her over the past couple of years but her sorrow was almost erased. It was as if she finally realized that the memory of what had gone before and her own perceptions of betrayal had been merely that; a perception and no real part of the truth. That memory now held nothing that any longer had the power to hurt.

His attention was drawn back to external things as she wet her lips with the tip of a pink tongue and pulled at him to bring his face down to hers. "Yes, this is much more like it." She said and kissed his surprised face.

'When did she…' He dropped that line of thought, whatever it had been and turned his head to enjoy the kiss more. "It's been too long, Kagome."

She chuckled faintly as she slid her hand up his back under his hair. "Mmmn, since last night." He kissed her neck in response and stroked a hand between her legs, pressing upwards. She gasped a little and eased backwards to look down only to encounter the wooden shelves of the pantry at her shoulders. "Inu…"

He kissed her again.

Feeling very dizzy she tried to connect the dots in an appropriate line. "Inuyasha, won't they..?"

He nipped her ear, bringing his lips to the edge of the pinna and nibbling (oh, so delicately. How did he do that? He was bringing her apart) mouthing the earlobe before speaking; "They won't, if you don't yell." He murmured shamelessly.

Her eyes flashed and she snapped even as she held his head to her neck with a forearm, "I don't yell."

He rumbled a bit in what she wanted to call a purr but the one time she had done that he'd been quite insulted. "Yes, you do."

"No…I don't!"

He hooked his hands around her hips and turned her. With a quick downwards flick of his fingers before her hipbones and his thumbs upwards behind, she found herself cocking up for him as he crowded in while she fended them both off of the shelves. "Hey, don't we need to take some things off to do that?" She could hear the joyous rumble of his seldom-heard laugh.

"Could be you're right. This could work better." Inuyasha's hands became busy.

Kagome blushed and turned around, dropping her head for the sheer shame and delight of what they were doing. But her hands went out anyway and even though she was blushing there was a smile as she undid buttons and zippers and helped him with her own.

Moments later, he gathered her back into his arms and turned her back towards the shelves. She tangled her fingers in his silver hair and he hissed quietly as he was forced to bend over more than he wanted to, bending his back to curve over hers. No matter, even his hair was stronger than her fingers and he simply pulled her arm up along with his head as he re-angled her hips. Her slender back sloped down and he stroked his hands over her rounded white haunches, parting her.

In a rush, he was where he wanted to be; with her impaled upon him and one hand splayed over her tummy and the other braced against a shelf. They moved to accommodate each other Both of his hands traveled her body as she gripped the shelf in front of her with whitening knuckles.

"Ooh, Inuyashaaa…" Time passed unnoticed.

:::00:::0:::00:::

Sesshoumaru let himself into the apartment and paused, sniffing the air. "No…Don't event think it ." he muttered to himself. He was forced into a confirmation of his suspicion in the very next instant.

"Mi-mine--Ka-Go-Me!" The voice came, not muffled nearly enough , from his pantry closet. In the fragile privacy of his own front hall Sesshoumaru permitted himself to sag for the briefest of moments. He shrugged off his coat and simply followed it into the closet when the door to the pantry opened and Kagome stepped out. She was looking slightly ruffled but glowingly pretty and self-satisfied and went off with a provocative sway to her hips.

Inuyasha's luck ran out however as he stepped out of the pantry in Kagome's wake only to find himself nose to nose with an irate youkai lord. They stared at each other in complete silence for a long moment. It was Inuyasha who dropped his eyes first with a flush mantling his cheeks.

"Ah, shame, Inuyasha. You amaze me. Where shall I have the contents of my pantry delivered? The Higurashi establishment? Or are you planning on moving In? Let me know so I can pack."

"I don't want to be here." Inuyasha forced his eyes up to his brother's disapproving face. "I'll gladly leave you to fumigate your pantry in peace and never darken your doors again. Just as soon as Higurashi-San is satisfied as to your intentions towards the humans in your hands."

Sesshoumaru's jaw dropped and he waggled it slightly. " My intentions towards the hu--. So she wants to have you watching does she? I suppose you intend to take notes while I flay those two alive? Or may be I'll turn Jaken back human again and just do all three?"

"That's just gross, Sesshoumaru."

"Compared to violating the sanctity of my pantry?" Sesshoumaru's voice was starting to gain in volume.

"Look, it's not like it's my fault that your ass has no relationships whatsoever!"

"What could you know of my private business?!"

"I don't need to know your private business…I know you!"

Sesshoumaru took a slight step back. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Inuyasha sneered and folded his arms. "I'm here to check on the welfare of the humans under your care. All of the humans under your care."

There was an extended silence, then Sesshoumaru turned to leave.

"Hey, wait, Shit-head! We're not finished." Inuyasha had danced around to stand in front of his brother again.

Sesshoumaru snarled in response.

"Not going to work, brother-mine. I know where you put Rin. I know she's still alive. But have you ever figured out the consequences? What are your intentions towards Rin? Or did you even think that far when you did it?"

A voice sounded from the living room door. "What consequences? Where did he put her?" Kagome stood with her head sticking through. The shouted conversation had been too much for her discretion.

"Where else does a Daemon lord keep anything Kagome?" Inuyasha looked quite smug. "The only question is, what were his intentions? How about it Sesshoumaru? What was it; possession, prey or mate?"

Sesshoumaru scowled and fixed his gaze on the floor as he shouldered past Inuyasha. "What does it matter?" He muttered. "In this ere, she shouldn't even be alive."

:::0o0o0::::

Sorry for the wait, what a pig of a chapter to write!

Reviews are so nice, bribes gratefully accepted….