InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fade and Flare ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 9 )

Fade and Flare

Chapter 8

Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shonen Sunday, and more companies I'm too lazy to look up. D:

Remember when I mentioned that this is a story meant for mature readers only, due to citrus content? Hah, neither do I.

Just thought I'd throw that out there...

Oh no. "Wait, wha--"

"It's maddening sometimes."

Danger, you idiot! All at once Inuyasha tried to scream in shock and terror, pull away, scold her, and find out what was going on. His reaction came out as a jumbled mess; all the hanyou could do was sit, unsure of what to do first while Kagome attacked him.

In the span of two soft pecks such thoughts were fading fast. As if lit by a small flame Inuyasha's common sense steadily burned away with each touch of Kagome's lips. He knew the right thing to do was to leave immediately... but oh God, why did she have to nibble like that? That kind of thing drove him crazy. Eventually his eyes slipped shut. He held Kagome's lips with his own, steadying her in a long but shy kiss.

She parted for a breath. "Really nice to look at."

No, no, no, she was attracted to him? At first the confession didn't register, but now her message was clear. To Inuyasha this terrifying revelation satisfied years of speculation and fantasies. All he could do, all he wanted to do, was sit there at let her do as she pleased. Besides, kissing her back gave him time to think of a tactful way to... to do... something. Wait, what was that again?

Kagome's next kiss was a lot more confident than the first few. Her hand slid up Inuyasha's neck, fingertips gently curling around his immaculate white hair while each touch of her lips slowly intensified. Though her victim moaned pathetically, he released her shoulders, answering her with a bold brush of tongue. Clutching Inuyasha's white dress shirt Kagome fell against the pillows on the bed, and not much time passed before the young woman slid completely off of Inuyasha's lap, onto the comforter. He slipped out of his shirt, discarding it next to Kagome's shoulder as they continued.

The hanyou was already leaning into her, but when Kagome's weight shifted off of his legs he easily moved above her. Without breaking the kiss, his thighs were burrowed into the mattress on either side of her lithe body. She ran her hands wildly over his bare shoulders.

"This is too easy," Kagome finally breathed, attacking Inuyasha further. She wanted to lose herself in this moment. Breathing frantically she forced her tongue into his mouth, and gripped the arm that was now wrapped tightly around her waist. His weight against her hips, pinning her small body to the bed only drove her mad. The moans that escaped from beneath Kagome's lips as they were joined with Inuyasha's intensified.

Breathless, the pair suddenly broke apart, panting as they gazed at each other. It was enough for Inuyasha to regain control, and he noticed that Kagome was now coming to her senses as well. Her pale gray eyes tugged at him, wondering what he would say next. Was he giving her the same look? All they could do was stare.

Slowly, Inuyasha slid off of Kagome, and sat on the bed gripping her hand. They stayed alone in the dark together for a few moments. Neither had anything to say, mutually afraid to speak.

Under the protection of her blank stare Kagome turned to her side and tried to sleep. Eventually Inuyasha stood, covered her with his shirt, and trudged down the hallway to his bedroom.

Please, just let them be here after school. She prayed to nobody in particular as she put her street shoes in the locker, trying not to be obvious in looking for a culprit as she headed for class.

Something was off today. Typically the walk to class wasn't too bad: most people simply went out of their way to ignore her. She decided that it hurt less not to exist than to be ridiculed. Today, however, everyone's eyes were on her as she trudged down the hallway; this walk was somehow much longer than she remembered. Was she walking to her death?

She had never been so happy to see the door to her classroom. Loud chattering could be heard in the hallway, and the young girl's steps quickened as she headed towards it. The sound was such a welcome change from the somber hallway. When her hand touched the door's handle, she released a sigh laced with relief.

The feeling was fleeting. As soon as that familiar scraping of the classroom door over its track was heard all eyes fell on her, and all talking ceased. Immediately her eyes went to Ayumi, who beckoned to her. Kagome rushed over to the friend whose desk was next to hers. Sinking down into her seat she set her school bag down, quickly retrieving a pencil and paper.

Why is everyone looking at me like that? Kagome scribbled, then sliding the paper over to her friend.

Ayumi tried to smile for her friend as she flipped through a notebook. Taking out a folded sheet of pink paper she handed it to Kagome. As her friend unfolded it Ayumi watched recognition, surprise, and suddenly fear subsequently washing across her face. All emotions quickly disappeared when Kagome remembered she was being watched. Only Ayumi noticed that Kagome's gray eyes widened a little when they rose to meet the faces that wanted to see a bigger reaction. Once their peers grew bored of Kagome they returned to their own business.

She hadn't yet seen the promotional flyer for her first live show, but this was not where she wanted to encounter it. Kagome wrote frantically on another piece of paper, handing it to Ayumi.

Where did you get this?

Her friend could only frown. Kagome wanted so badly for the day to end.

"Sorry, Kagome-chan. I can't handle this-- I need to study for college entrance exams and..."

"We'll always love you, Kagome-chan. But..."

"It's fine" was her reply. What else could she say? Kagome kept her tears down that day, disgusted at how cruel her fellow students were, to push her friends to this. She understood, but still couldn't help but feel hurt. Would she have done the same thing?

The walk along the school corridors to the rooftop reminded Kagome of this today. As she and Ayumi headed for their lunchtime sanctuary Kagome noticed that each school bulletin board was littered with her concert flyers. During class Kagome was called to the principal's office and given a stern speech on how she was too young to be associated with the nighttime club scene, and that she had better be taking college entrance exams while she was ‘pursuing such disgraceful hobbies.' The following week would involve a meeting with her mother.

In that moment Kagome realized how transparent an adult‘s "concern" for her could be. Her high school did not allow its students to have part-time jobs. She knew that if her musical persona were to become associated with the school it would only be a matter of time before the PTA rallied to get her expelled or transferred, her graduation be damned. Kagome bet that Kaori would have warned her about this too, had she realized what Kagome's intentions really were.

When the pair of girls reached the roof they spotted Hojo sitting on a bench they usually shared. To finally see someone smiling at her today was comforting.

"Hi!"

"Hey, Hojo-kun," answered Ayumi, setting her bento box down.

Kagome took a seat. "Hey."

They ate in silence for a while, thankful that the weather was nice. Ayumi finished her food first, leaning back to enjoy the breeze as she popped the top of a Pocari Sweat.

"How has your day been so far, Higurashi?"

She didn't want to answer.

With a nervous laugh Ayumi produced the concert flyer. "New form of bullying today."

Hojo blinked, taking the piece of paper from his friend. "What?" Upon recognition he blinked even more, obviously confused. "What are you talking about?"

"It's my first concert!" Kagome finally blurted out, groaning into her hands.

"Oh. Cool! Well, I think it's great! Everyone's noticed that you've been acting strange for the last few months, which is why people have been kinda... shunning you. Now everyone will know it's because you've been busy! Isn't that great? How long have you been playing guitar--"

"What's ‘great' about it? This isn't an age-restricted club, so what if people show up and start trouble, Hojo-kun? How will I explain myself to the owners or get another show somewhere if I have a horrible reputation?"

"I don't think that'll be the case, Higurashi. I know how great you are at piano and singing. I believe in you! And if people come to see you they're gonna see how great you are! That's why I put so many fliers up."

Ayumi gasped, scooting away from Hojo. Kagome choked.

"You... you did this?"

"Of course. I saw your flyer in Shibuya when I went to talk to Takarai-san."

"Wait, what? When did you talk to Hide-chan--"

Ayumi squealed involuntarily, forgetting the situation for a moment. "You call him 'Hide-chan' now? So cute!"

"Argh, Hojo-kun! What right did you have to do that without asking me? You may have ruined my life, do you know that?"

"I think you're wrong, Higurashi! I really do!"

"You have no idea about anything, do you?" Kagome stood now, screaming straight into Hojo's face as Ayumi held her arm in a futile attempt to diffuse the situation. "I don't know what's going on with everyone here and why they suddenly hate me so much. As far as I was concerned it didn't matter. We'd graduate, and I wouldn't have to deal with them, especially if I stayed away from college!"

"See?"

Kagome was in tears now. "Shut up! The only thing I've been looking forward to is performing! If you ruin that for me I'll never forgive you!" Gasping for a breath, the girl finally stopped. She wanted to leave, but couldn't be seen crying at school for fear of encouraging her bullies.

Frantically wiping her eyes, Kagome tried hard to regain her composure. Leaving her food she ran for the exit. "I'm leaving for the day. See you later, Ayumi-chan."

"Hojo, you idiot!" Ayumi slapped him on the back of the head and then turned to catch up with her friend who had already disappeared.

Today was the day Hideto was with his band mates, broadcasting their weekly radio show, Flying L'Arc Attack. After the show wrapped up Hideto had accepted a catered lunch from the radio station, just as always. He couldn't bring himself to refuse good food. To do such a thing was criminal!

When he deposited his boots in the entryway of his apartment he raised an eyebrow when he spotted Kagome's familiar pair of slip-on shoes that went with her uniform. A smile stretched across his face. He was really hoping for some company tonight.

Immediately after that he sensed something wrong. Hideto could smell alcohol, and as soon as he rounded the corner to his living room he frowned angrily. Four empty Sapporo cans were littered across his coffee table, and on the floor sat Kagome. She gripped one more can, drinking quickly. The look on her face was hazy and distraught as she gulped. With a gasp Hideto dove for her, pulling the can from her grasp.

"Wellchum... hhome! Thirssty?" To Hideto's disdain Kagome's speech was disgustingly slurred. She slumped against him as he kneeled on the floor. In no time the high school student collapsed onto his lap.

"This is NOT okay. I don't know what happened but this is NEVER okay. I gave you the key to my place because I trusted you not to do something like this while I go out." He cradled her head, doing his best to keep eye contact with her as she spoke.

One glance at his watch made him sigh with a sudden picture of what could have happened. It was much too early for Kagome to be out of school. She must have had problems again, but this couldn't be anything typical. Most of the time when Kagome talked about all of the ways her fellow students tried to torment her, she was always determined as hell to keep calm. There were a couple of times she couldn't do it, though, and in those moments Hideto was glad he could make everything better through the simple act of letting her cry into his shirt at night.

Kagome didn't drink. She had never shown interest. She had also never shown any self-destructive tendencies like this before. A small part of Hideto wanted to die when he realized that this was one of the young girl's first steps into an adult world. Did his involvement in her life cause or expedite such a thing? His teeth ground into his lip a little at the thought, and his arms tightened around the small body in his lap.

"I'm... I'm shorry, Hide-cshan... please don't be mad at me!"

"Kagome... why would you hurt yourself like this?" He didn't really expect her to answer. Sighing, Hideto retrieved his cell phone, activating speed dial. A few moments passed before someone picked up. "Hello? Is this Higurashi-san? It's Takarai... The school called you? Yes, she's over here now. I'll be sure to have her home at the usual time... No! No, she's never a burden... We'll get dinner. I'll see you later tonight."

Kagome hiccupped. With a heavier sigh Hideto put a placating hand on her head, stroking her hair.

Husking Bee, one of the other bands on the bill were still on stage, but their set was coming to an end. Cheers and screams from the crowd in the club almost overtook the music, which meant people would be in high spirits once Kagome came out.

...Unless the crowd was comprised of her classmates. She had been too terrified to check all night. She'd find out soon enough, anyway.

Words that she had been dreading to hear finally came. "Thank you! Good night!" Thankfully there was a little bit of buffer after the performance. No act tonight would have roadies to dismantle their equipment-- nobody was that big. Husking Bee was busy pulling cords from amps, and chatter of the club patrons resumed while a CD played through the sound system.

Kagome spun, turning to Hideto. From beneath his black hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses he grinned, rubbing her shoulders in reassurance. He bent to speak into one ear.

"You're probably one of the best guitarists in the house tonight."

"Ah." It was obvious she wasn't worried about her musicianship.

"And you're hands down the nicest act to look at."

Kagome mustered a giggle for him, but it sounded nearly hysterical when she listened to herself.

"All right, you're on, Baby!" Isobe, one of the vocalists of Husking Bee pat Kagome on the head as he walked offstage. During the sound check the band had designated Kagome as ‘Baby' because she was so young. The nickname helped to soothe her nerves a bit.

"Isobe-senpai... you guys were awesome!"

The bassist who had sworn he wanted to adopt her shot over a thumbs-up. Tetsuya was his name, which was easy for Kagome to remember since the Tetsuya she knew was also a bassist. I wonder if he has a girlfriend named Kaori too, she had laughed to herself.

Hideto's hand startled her as it pat her bare lower back. She stood, watching her band mates, a bassist named Osuke and a drummer named Akio pass her with smiles and high-fives before heading onstage to set things up. Osuke pulled Kagome's guitar from her hands, saying he would take care of it for her.

Inching towards the stage Kagome snuck a peek at the crowd. She could find no air to breathe as she examined the people in the club. Too many familiar faces stared up at Osuke and Akio: most of fourth year class B, her class, lined the edges of the stage. Hojo and Ayumi were among the crowd, looking pensively around. A few people she recognized from fourth year classes C and A were scattered throughout the floor as well. By staying in their school uniforms they marked themselves clearly. Near the bar Kagome spotted two girls from her former group of friends, wearing the same expressions as Hojo and Ayumi.

At least it seems like they came to support me, Kagome mused to herself. The presence of her friends gave her an unexpected boost of confidence; it was now time for her to go out and do a microphone check.

Literally milliseconds before she would turn back to Hideto and receive a final wink of reassurance, she froze. Out of the corner of her eye Kagome noticed sudden dots of white appearing throughout the crowd. When she turned back around to examine them her knees fused together. People were holding... school shoes? Oh God, what did that mean? Kagome was reminded of all the pairs of shoes she had lost to bullying. Before realizing that she was sinking to the floor Hideto was beneath her, propping her up. Akio had watched Kagome as she looked at the crowd, and also ran to hold her up.

"Hide-chan... what if they throw them? Is there security here? I don't want Akio-san and Osuke-san to get hurt..."

"Those people in uniforms are your classmates?"

She nodded.

"Fuck," Hideto muttered under his breath as he exchanged a glance with Akio.

On stage, Osuke stared at the trio, doing Kagome's microphone check for her. With a smile, the bassist ran a hand through the short brown curls on his head as he gestured towards Akio to come out on stage with him. Nodding, Akio pat Kagome on the shoulder, and with a final adjustment to his blonde spiky hair, he located a pair of drumsticks and headed toward the stage.

Shit, what time is it? Inuyasha's eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dark and spotted a silhouette standing pensively in his doorway. He didn't have to look--her scent had roused him from down the hall.

"Kagome. Wh-what's up?"

"About earlier... I... uh..."

"Keh. Don't worry about it. It was just some weird moment, I get it."

"No, you really should know. You're my manager, after all."

Rolling his eyes, he sighed. "Can't this wait until morning or something, Kagome? I really don't have the mental capacity for it right now."

"Well, good."

"Wha?"

"I think I prefer a more instinctual reaction."

What could she possibly expect him to say to that? "See you in the morning. Now, if you don't mind... hey!"

She stood at his bedside now, smiling softly. A white nightie, one Inuyasha did not recognize, hung loosely over her body, barely reaching the top edges of her panties. In the right lighting he was pretty sure it did not cover the rest of her very effectively, either. He could see the silhouette of her torso through its sheer fabric.

One soft hand clasped her manager's, and then another followed.

"I'm saying..."

Nearly no time passed and she released his hands. Now she straddled his chest.

Oh God...

When he raised his head to scold her he found himself face to face with the junction of Kagome's legs. A small amount of pink fabric, panties in name only, barely covered her. "Barely" was actually too generous of a term. Even in the dark Inuyasha could see the heavy contrast between pale lace and the dark patch of hair underneath. There was officially no secret as to what her natural hair color was.

"Come on, do I really need to spell it out for you, Inuyasha?"

"It's... n-not bad to b-be clear about things." The words tumbled clumsily from his lips. Something carnal was busy surging through him, spreading quickly to the lower parts of his body. Her scent at this proximity, heady and so obviously aroused, tore at his baser instincts. She must have known this! Pheromones be damned, her intent oozed deliciously from every pore of her body. Of course she didn't need to spell things out.

Kagome giggled in response. The soft laugh was mischievous. Foreboding. Inuyasha had never heard her like this before. He'd heard such a laugh from other women he had been with, but that kind of girl was usually transparent about her motives from the start. Great. Deep down his sweet Kagome was a vixen and he should have known as much. It's always the "good" girls who--

With no warning Kagome had swept one hand behind her, running unapologetically over her manager's hips and lower belly until she reached what she was looking for. Her fingers grabbed him, verifying what she had found.

"Ah..." Inuyasha exhaled the word as if it had been forced out of him.

Kagome liked the reaction. With a smirk she ran a finger over his hardening length, stroking him through his clothes.

"It seems like things are already clear from what I can see. Look at what you're doing already."

"What I'm doing? You're the one who can't keep her fucking hands to herself!"

"Mmm, I could put them to use on myself if you like..." She brought her hands forward and crossed them, gripping the edge of her nightie and pulling the thin fabric over her head. Her fingertips crossed, sliding up along her torso until they wove together below her bare breasts. "But I prefer to take a more active role in holding your attention."

One hand dove into the waistband of his boxer shorts this time, caressing his hot skin. Slender fingers curled lightly around his swelling flesh and pumped him softly, eliciting rough breaths from her companion. He watched her, mesmerized by the graceful rocking of her breasts and smooth movements as she touched him. At first, he could not utter a reply. "Stop," he barely managed, whining feebly in each exhale.

"Do you really want me to stop?"

The hanyou threw his head back against his pillow. "...I don't know."

"I see." With a smaller smile, Kagome continued her ministrations, watching Inuyasha writhe beneath her. "It's a shame," she sighed.

"Wh-what is?" he ground out.

"You can't even loosen up in your dreams. We could be fucking by now."

He sat up with a scream, kicking and throwing his blankets to the side. The deep red décor of his room was bathed in daylight and nobody, nor any scent other than his own, lingered in the room. Downstairs he could hear the quiet murmur of the television. Damn, he must have left it on. Unless...

How much happened last night? Was any of it real? Too bad his erection didn't care. Annoyed, the hanyou grabbed around his bedside for the shirt he was wearing last night. It was nowhere to be found. Once his lower half calmed down he exited his room, clawed bare feet lightly brushing across the cool floor as he walked.

Inuyasha reached Kagome's guest room. The door had been opened. Trying not to be too obvious he glanced inside as he passed it. What the hell? The bed was made. He backed up and peered inside. Her scent lingered in the air, but he could not tell how recent it really was. As Inuyasha turned back to the hallway his eyes caught a pair of white pants folded neatly on a chair. They were easily the pants Kagome wore last night.

After brushing his teeth and shaving Inuyasha stood at the top of the stairs, peeking down to the couch in his living room. He could see the TV turned on, and nothing but a leg draped over the top edge of the couch. Gulping, he head down towards it until he stood over her foot. Kagome lay there in his shirt, thumbing through a novel. Her hair spilled dramatically beneath her, curving over the couch cushions. His white shirt covered her amply-- it was much too large for her and fit like a short dress, but was only held closed by three or four buttons. The sight was out of a movie or magazine. Once she realized somebody was near, she peeked out from behind the book, smiling shyly as she nudged him with her toe in a greeting.

"Morning," he managed. Great, she was acting as if nothing important had happened last night. This threw him off quite a bit. It wasn't something to shrug off. Inuyasha still didn't know what had happened with Hojo but wondered what Kagome planned to do. She was always responsive and responsible in weighty situations.

She must have been hurt pretty badly, the hanyou rationalized. "Did you... have anything to eat?" he ventured. He wasn't sure if he should bring up what happened or even how to do it. "I've got a few things in the fridge if you want."

Kagome rose to a sitting position, neatly folding her legs underneath her as she put the book down. Patting the spot next to her she stared back up at Inuyasha. "I'm okay for now."

He followed her silent request, exhaling quietly as he made his way to the couch. Inuyasha could feel his companion's eyes on him; he decided that it would definitely help to regain control of his thoughts and look calm.

Fine, he would calm down. What emotion should he project to show that he wasn't feeling strange at all? Time was passing by too quickly, and if a few more seconds of indecision passed Kagome would probably ask what was wrong.

He decided to look annoyed. It was a familiar emotion that he perhaps enjoyed too much. The lack of explanation was grating on his nerves, anyway. Quickly, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he slumped as if his life depended on it.

Women are too much of a hassle, Inuyasha decided. Yes, this emotion was perfect. Human women were confusing, complicated, and acted on their feelings so readily (and without consequence!) that he wanted to hit his head on things. Maybe last night was a dream come true, but its price was already apparent: it could easily contort into a nightmare at this rate. With this ridiculous lack of acknowledgement for last night they were halfway there! Inuyasha glared into his lap, fixating on the loose strands of cotton white hair that hung over his chest.

Hair... That was normal. He would brush her hair. It looked fine but she wouldn't argue, would she? "Be right back." Inuyasha stood and left the room to retrieve Kagome's hairbrush before she could reply. As quickly as he left, the hanyou returned and grabbed Kagome's shoulders, urging her to turn away from him.

"Your hair's all fucked up."

She wasn't sure why his usual annoyed demeanor was so irritating to her today. Why did he feel so inclined to make her feel like she was a nuisance? Why did he act so mad about such things but was so willing to do them? Kagome understood that this was just his way, but somewhere she had hoped that last night would have... Nevermind, she didn't even know what she wanted it to achieve. It wasn't like she had planned for any of it to happen. All the young woman did know was that a feeling of impatience and anxiety was building up inside of her. Why?

You jerk. I'll fix you...

"Ah," was her reply, before she retaliated. Trying to hold a smirk back, Kagome stretched as she shifted to move. Straightening her torso, the shirt she was wearing fell slightly behind her as she turned away from Inuyasha. In a split second Kagome watched Inuyasha's eyes gravitate towards the opening in the shirt where her legs poked out... good. She now sat with her back to him.

Fuck! She was always like this, not at all mindful of how dressed or undressed she was. Every time he thought he was used to it he was taken by surprise.

Especially now. Kagome's panties were not the usual pale pink. He wouldn't have noticed if not for the split-second flash of sexy, lacy, fiery, red that mocked him as it fled from his view. Now facing Kagome's back with scared, wide eyes Inuyasha almost forgot about the task at hand. With a tight grip on the hairbrush he managed to calm himself, finally passing it through Kagome's soft black tresses.

Whatever lies were told through the pair's demeanor were shattered by this simple act. As the moments passed Inuyasha's fingers remained steady and gentle as he touched her, and soon Kagome's posture relaxed. She slowly calmed down, closing her eyes as he softly scratched her scalp with his claws.

When he was finished he gathered her hair in his hands, and placed it over her shoulder. For a second Kagome turned to smile at her manager. He returned it with his own grin, but beyond the pleasantries Inuyasha and Kagome could not manage more eye contact than that. Not knowing what to do, Inuyasha placed his hands on Kagome's shoulders, lightly massaging her. She sighed, finally content.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes, thanks. I really like that bed."

"Good."

Eventually his hands moved down her back, and Kagome sighed again. When Inuyasha reached her waist, his hands slowed to a stop, suddenly unsure of what to do. He rested his hands on her, hesitating for a moment before they slid forward around her waist. Without a word his clawed fingertips met as they rest on her stomach.

He didn't have to press hard. Kagome felt as if the air was being forced from her chest as she leaned back, into him. The back of her shoulders met his chest; wordlessly she lay her head against his body. Her heart pounded at a crazed pace when she felt Inuyasha exhale against her neck.

Damn it, what the hell was he doing? Inuyasha still didn't know her situation with Hojo but couldn't stop himself. He felt compelled to bury his face in the hair he had just combed. It took little effort after that to move further down into the curve of her neck. Remnants of her perfume from last night lingered; when the scent was this subtle it was very attractive to youkai, and Inuyasha was no exception. His lips were compelled to brush against her skin, and as if they had a mind of their own he moved slowly to kiss her neck. She was already writhing beneath his fingertips, shivering in anticipation.

The intercom buzzed. Inuyasha glared, resolute in staying on the couch. Just as he resumed what he was doing a persistent knock on the door shattered the moment.

"Inuyasha-san! Are you home?" The voice behind the door was muffled but it was clear who was there.

Kagome gasped, breaking herself out of Inuyasha's grasp. She stood, slowly backing away from the couch as if trying to flee. Perhaps she would have run away if not for Inuyasha's steadying hand on her arm.

"Get dressed," he nearly growled. Kagome nodded once before running upstairs. In a louder voice he spoke: "Come in. It's open."

The door opened and in walked Hojo, looking tired and flustered. "I'm so relieved to finally find someone!"

Inuyasha was quick to regain his senses. He still didn't know what happened between them. Despite his anger he was thankful for the interruption. For a moment Inuyasha had forgotten his place in the world. Thankfully before anything damaging could happen Hojo appeared in his entryway, removing his shoes with harried movements, and Inuyasha remembered how things were supposed to be...

"Inuyasha, have you seen Kagome? I'm worried about her! Please... please don't react until you've heard what I've had to say! Last night there was a horrible misunderstanding and I worry that she may have done something hasty."

...and it was enough to make him sick.

I don't need to elaborate too much, do I? XD; I've been busy. This time it's work, house guests, and anime cons. In fact, I've got a bunch of trips coming up, again.

In case you may have forgotten, Hideto is based on a real Japanese rock star named, "HYDE". Early this year HYDE released a new solo album and has been touring in Japan since February. In July he's actually coming to California to play four tour dates. :D I'm excited... I have tickets to all four shows! XD Anyway...

Those of you who have been reviewing lately... I want to thank you! I'm really surprised at some of the insightful things you guys have said about this story. It keeps me on my toes and makes me ask, "oh hey, why DID I want to add that?" Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Even though I've written extensive notes on what's going to happen (and why) the way things end up still surprise me as I write them. Originally, I didn't plan Kagome or Inuyasha to slip so soon but I did it because it seemed like the natural thing to do. You guys are awesome. Thank you.

Cultural notes for this chapter are up at the Fade and Flare website. Address is: www. pinku. net/fadeflare (Be sure to remoce the spaces, of course. ) If I can figure out where I saved the files more art will be up in the next few days. Take care!