InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Guilty Hero ❯ Over Thinking ( Chapter 25 )

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In this chapter: Confusion, foiled demon attacks, one clear mind.

Guilty Hero

Chapter 24: Over Thinking

He had been completely honest, of that he was certain. It was rather surprising how hard it had been to come to such conclusions, but he now knew that he did indeed like Kagome, and that in order to keep her safe, he had to stop drinking. But that was the extent of his certainties. Her rejection still puzzled him to no end, and, more than that was her lack of confidence in him. He had decided to try and quit drinking on his own, since she was apparently going to offer him no help until he came up with the `right reason', but when he informed her of this, she simply smiled sadly at him and remained silent; it was her gentle way of saying that she knew that things would end in failure for him.

“Rrgh…” He let out a low growl in frustration, clenching a cigarette between his lips and sinking deeper into the couch cushions. Why wouldn't she help him? He just didn't understand. If he quit drinking, everything would better; she would be safe from his drunken rages, she wouldn't have to deal with his whiskey-sharpened tongue, and she wouldn't have to nurse him through his hangovers, which often turned out to be quite the messy job. But no, she wouldn't help. And he simply could not wrap his head around it.

Well, perhaps the fact that it was pounding with a vengeance from a lack of liquor was part of the reason. He had so far gone two days without a drop of alcohol, not including his `day of rest' as Kagome called it, and was having a dreadful time of it. In fact, he was fairly certain the only reason he had made it so far without drinking was because there was no whiskey left in the apartment; he would have cracked much sooner had the precious commodity had been readily available.

Moaning softly, he shut his eyes and laid his head back; the thought of that amber liquid was enough to send a shudder coursing through him, and he swallowed hard as he tried to fight back the craving. He longed for the strong taste on his tongue and the delightful burn in his chest and throat with every swallow, but most of all he yearned for the soothing effect on his tired, shaky muscles, the drowsiness it caused that allowed him to slip into a dreamless slumber. After that damned video at the gala, any sleep he tried to take that wasn't laced with whiskey was fraught with horrible images of memories he tried to forget long ago, making sleep next to impossible.

“Damn it…” he grunted under his breath, sitting up and resting his head in his shaky hand. Thinking about the drink was making things worse, but he couldn't get the stuff off his mind. It seemed that the moment he decided he couldn't have it any more, his body's need for it tripled, and continued to worsen exponentially. “What the hell's wrong with me?”

Making him start in surprise, Kagome emerged from the bedroom with her coat on and her purse slung over one shoulder, humming a light tune. Inu-Yasha was slouched over on the couch so she didn't notice him at first, but when she walked into the foyer where her sneakers sat, she felt his piercing stare in the small of her back and quickly turned around.

“Oh, there you are! I was wondering where you had gone off to. I thought I—“ She abruptly stopped speaking when she took a closer look at the demon; his distress was fairly easy to place. “Inu-Yasha, what's wrong?”

He blinked suddenly, his intense gaze breaking when he realized she was talking to him. “Huh? Oh, nothin'…” He didn't want her to know how close he was to caving in; it was rather embarrassing, it being only two days after he had awoken from the gala.

Kagome frowned at his response. “You're awfully pale…”

“I'm fine,” he mumbled, shifting under her stare. She said nothing in reply, but continued to give him a look that clearly stated her disbelief. He turned his head away, trying to avoid her gaze, but she finally walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. Quickly, he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and held it away from her, for a comment during her minor blowup the day before had finally made him privy to her feelings about the smoke, and he did not want to make things unpleasant for her. He did that well enough on his own.

Smiling slightly at the gesture, for it did not escape her notice, she said somberly to him, “Inu-Yasha, I know what you're trying to do right now. And, if it's for the reason I think it is, then I am very touched by your efforts.”

He flushed at her comment and sunk further into the cushions, not meeting her eye.

“But Inu-Yasha, it's not going to be that easy. Right now, all you're doing is hurting yourself.”

“No I'm not,” he growled, his hands clenching into fists. “I'm doing what needs to be done! Besides, I don't care if I hurt myself, I just don't want to hurt you anymore!” He abruptly clamped his mouth shut after the last comment slipped out, his flush darkening. Tucking his chin into his chest, he glared silently at the coffee table.

“Inu-Yasha…” For a moment, Kagome was unsure of what to say. She had never felt such a strange combination of horror and flattery from a comment before; she hated hearing him say how little he cared about himself, but for him to say such a thing about her… A soft sigh escaped her as she looked down at her knees. How long would it take him to understand? It was so hard for her to watch him torture himself the way he was now, but she knew, if things were to turn out right in the end, she had to wait for him to come to an understanding on his own.

For a few moments they sat in silence, until Inu-Yasha suddenly spoke up, breaking Kagome out of her thoughts. It was only a whispered curse, but it was enough to make her take his hand in concern.

“D-dammit…” he muttered under his breath, hunching over, gripping Kagome's hand incredibly hard as he tried to fight off another craving that had come over him. Kagome quickly put an arm around his shoulders, hoping to comfort him, and he leaned into her, taking deep breaths. He hoped that the same scent that had soothed his hangover symptoms would be enough to quell the debilitating weakness of desire clawing its way through his body, but it seemed his need for whiskey proved to be stronger force.

It took a couple minutes for the desperate desire to fade, but at last he was able to sit up straight and release his iron grip on her hand. Shakily, he took a long drag from his cigarette to calm his nerves, and despite his anxiety, he still remembered to blow the smoke away from Kagome.

“…Why is it so bad this time around?” he finally mumbled, not noticing that she was flexing her fingers, which had gone numb in his grasp. “The last time I stopped drinking, I was able to go for four days, and I still didn't feel this awful. But now…”

With a light sigh, Kagome gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze. “I don't know, Inu-Yasha. I really don't. But… I do need to tell you something.”

Her tone was so grave that he lifted his head to look her in the eye, a little concerned. “What?”

She met his gaze, her own worry clearly showing through. “I'm afraid you're really going to make yourself sick if you continue with this. Quitting cold turkey rarely works, and with one so deep in an addiction like you, cutting out alcohol would result in death before it would result in sobriety. And I really, really don't want that to happen. So just…” She looked away, trying to cover up her concern. “Just don't take this too far, Inu-Yasha.” Abruptly, she stood and walked over to the foyer again and shoved her feet into her sneakers. She heard Inu-Yasha climb off the couch after a moment, but she pretended not to notice, pulling her coat off the hook and shrugging into it. She knew he had never been one for pity, and it was becoming almost impossible to cover up her feelings after seeing him so pathetic.

“Hey,” he said from right behind her, a slight growl leaking into his tone. “Do I understand you right? You actually want me to keep drinking?”

Slowly, she turned around to face him. He was staring at her, his expression a blend of anger and confusion. Still confused over her rejection of help two days prior, she could hardly blame him for getting frustrated now that she threw this new request at him as well.

“I just… don't like seeing you making yourself sick,” she finally said, focusing more on buttoning her coat than on him. “Which is what you have been doing for the past eight years, and what you are doing now.” Quickly, she grabbed her purse and scarf off the coat rack and flung them on, obviously eager to get out of the apartment. “I have some errands to run, and will be gone for a couple hours. Will you be all right on your own?” It was a foolish question, she knew, but she wanted something to get them away from the current topic of conversation. It was only serving to confuse Inu-Yasha even more, and he didn't need any more to think about.

Slowly, he nodded, still looking rather upset as he tried to puzzle through her somewhat less-than-direct answer to his question.

“Good. All right, I will see you later.” Feeling very awkward, for she felt horrible at confusing the poor demon, she gently squeezed his hand in goodbye, then slipped out the door and quietly shut it behind her.

Once she was gone, Inu-Yasha stomped back over to the couch and flopped down on it. He was now beginning to get angry with the whole situation. There were far too many questions and not enough answers, and he was growing more than confused. What on earth did her last comment mean? It was as though she was telling him that he was never going to make her happy. If he drank, he was sick. If he didn't drink, he got sick. And she didn't like watching him make himself sick, so what was he supposed to do?

“Damn it all…” he growled, mashing his cigarette into an ashtray on the coffee table. “I just don't get it…” He had finally had enough. Tired of the headache pounding and his shaky limbs making him feel terribly weak, he decided it was time for a drink. “Since Kagome doesn't seem to care one way or another…” he muttered under his breath, standing up and cramming his feet into his tattered sneakers by the door. Immediately, he shook his head at the comment, guilt creeping up on him for saying such a thing. Kagome's actions had long ago proven otherwise.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled open the door and stepped out onto the landing, tugging the door shut. “Maybe Iro will have some advice…”

oOoOoOoOo

“What's wrong with you, boy?” Iro asked as he stepped up to refill Inu-Yasha's drink once again. He had been watching the demon ever since Inu-Yasha had arrived at the Tap a couple hours ago, looking rather ill and quite irritated. He had said nothing and swallowed every whiskey Iro set down in front of him like it was an oasis in the desert, then set the glass back down and scowled in frustration, hanging his head. Iro couldn't quite figure out the meaning behind those actions, but it was clear something was obviously bothering him. He only needed to wait until a few drinks loosened Inu-Yasha's tongue enough to ask.

Gulping down the newest glass just as greedily as the first, Inu-Yasha pulled the empty cup away from his lips, panting as the liquid burned down. After two days without any liquor, the drink seemed to pack a wallop, and he had to blink rapidly to bring the bartender into focus. “Whaddaya mean?” he asked hazily, speaking for the first time since he had entered the bar. Once the whiskey first touched his lips, any thoughts on asking Iro's advice had been forced aside for more important matters.

“Hmph.” Iro set down the whiskey bottle just out of the demon's reach to make sure he could get a straight answer without any distractions. “You haven't been here in days. And when you finally do show up, you're sufferin' for whiskey but you seem to be mad about it. Something must've happened.”

The comment jogged Inu-Yasha's memory and he let out a deep sigh, staring forlornly into his empty glass. “I got a problem…” he began, running his finger around the rim.

“Don't we all,” Iro replied, pulling a rag out to wipe the bar off while Inu-Yasha talked.

Inu-Yasha nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but… I need some advice with this problem. It's just' too damn confusin'…” Frowning, he tried to figure out where to begin to bring Iro up to date with the situation. “Well… You know `bout th' Peace Day Gala?”

“Yeah. I watched a bit on TV while I was here.”

“All right. Well, I didn' like that video they played, so I went home an' got real drunk.” It was paraphrasing, but his bleary mind didn't notice. “So drunk that I almost hurt someone. An' when I woke up, I saw that I had thrown some stuff, even smashed a table… I was so afraid I had hurt her.” As those memories came back, he growled in anger at himself and tapped his shot glass on the bar, glaring at Iro until he conceded and filled it once again with whiskey.

Once the liquor chased away the bad memories, he sighed and continued with his story. “So I told her that I wanted t' quit drinkin', that way I could protect her proper. She wouldn' have t' be scared o' me anymore. An' I asked her t' help me, `cause I can't do it by myself, and she said she wouldn'. My own nurse, Iro!” He let out a growl and pounded his fist on the bar. “How th' hell am I gonna get better if my own nurse won' help me?!”

Iro shrugged. “I don't know, boy.”

“Hmph. I don' get it either. `Swhy I tried t' quit drinkin' on my own. I got through two days by myself, but t'day I was havin' a rough time with it.”

Glancing at Inu-Yasha's flushed face and firm grip on the shop glass, Iro raised an eyebrow and replied, “Clearly.”

Pausing to glare at him, Inu-Yasha went on. “That's when she told me that she didn' like seein' me makin' myself sick. She told me that I had been makin' myself sick for th' past eight years, and I was even makin' myself sick t'day. But that means that I'm sick when I drink an' sick when I don' drink! Dammit, Iro, what'm I s'posed t' do?!”

Thoughtfully scrubbing at a stain on the counter, Iro finally said, “Sounds to me like this fondness you have for this girl is unrequited.”

Inu-Yasha stared blankly at him. “Unre—what?”

Frowning, Iro said slowly, “She doesn't like you, boy.”

It was rather astonishing, the effect those words had on him. His mouth hung open, his hand gripped the shot glass with a furious strength, his eyes went wide, and even his ears drooped. “She… doesn' like me? But… but she takes care o' me… She said she was worried `bout me…”

“Get ahold of yourself,” Iro snapped, prying the glass from Inu-Yasha's hand before he broke it. “She's your nurse, not your lover. She's just doing her job, taking care of you. Yeah, she does want you to get better, that way she can finish her job and be on her merry way. What else did you think she was doing?”

“But…” He floundered for a moment, trying to think of some argument. “She said… she was happy that I…uh…”

Scoffing, Iro set the shot glass back down and poured some more whiskey in it since Inu-Yasha seemed to be in need of it. “That's reality for you, boy,” he said boredly as Inu-Yasha gulped down the drink. “Now, is this nurse the same girl that threw you to the dogs at that political rally a few weeks ago? Because I thought I told you what to do about her. You didn't listen, did you?”

Inu-Yasha frowned and scratched his head, trying to think back that far. “I don'… remember that night…” he finally said.

“Hmph. Well, I guess I'm not surprised; I made good money off you. Anyway, I told you to stay away from that girl. She's nothing but trouble for you. She's messing up your life, and you had things going just fine before she ever came along.” He tipped the bottle into Inu-Yasha's glass once more.

Inu-Yasha's brow furrowed as he pondered Iro's statement. Sure, things had been steady since before Kagome came along. He did the same thing every day, and always felt just as miserable when he went to bed as when he got up, and that routine continued on for years.

But when Kagome arrived, she shook things up. He now didn't mind dragging himself out of bed so he could meet her at the kitchen table for their morning coffee and tea. He had often found himself eagerly awaiting her return when she stepped out to run errands, waiting impatiently on his couch so he could keep an eye on the front door. Hell, he had even admitted that liked her. With this woman, he had gone through moments of deep depression, and moments of joy that he hadn't felt in years. She actually made him feel; he had grown so calloused and jaded since the battle with Naraku that such a thing he had previously thought was impossible had now become a reality. Sure, he had to agree that Kagome was messing up his life, but when his life was so horrible to begin with, how could messing it up be a bad thing?

Snapping his gaze up to Iro's, he slapped his hand down on the bar next to his glass. “You're wrong,” he growled. “Kagome's done nothin' but help me, an' I don' need you tellin' me lies about it. I like this girl for a reason, Iro. Dammit, I even tried t' quit drinkin' for her! So don' you go tellin' me that she ain't a good thing, `cause she's the best damn thing that's ever happened t' me!”

Iro shrugged, unfazed by Inu-Yasha's temper. “That's as may be. But I'm gonna tell you the same thing I said to you the time before—look at what happened the last time you got involved with a woman.”

“Oh, whadda you know…” Inu-Yasha growled, snagging his shot glass and taking a gulp.

“What do I know?” Iro repeated in disbelief. “I'll tell you what I know, boy. I know that this other woman had you tied around her finger, and when she was gone, it took all you had to wait until I opened these doors at five o' clock so you could come inside and drown all your troubles in whiskey. I know that she had such a hold on you that it left you cryin' all over my counter to try and get over her. I know that you had to try so hard to forget her that I had to haul your unconscious ass back to my break room so you wouldn't scare off my customers. I tell you what, I've been a bartender for a long, long time, and I have never seen a worse case of heartbreak than you, boy. I think I know enough.”

Inu-Yasha's scowl had long since slipped off his face as Iro spoke; he knew every word of what Iro said was true. “But Kagome…” he tried to say, but Iro cut him off with a shake of his head.

“No, this is about that Kikyo. She messed you up bad, and if you don't want to get hurt again, then I'd keep away from this nurse of yours.”

Inu-Yasha's head was swimming as all of Iro's points wormed their way into his thought process. Still confused over whether or not he should stop drinking and why Kagome wouldn't help him, he now was questioning whether Kagome should stay with him or not. He certainly liked having her around, but he had like having Kikyo around, and that had ended up dreadfully. If things were to go the same way with Kagome…

“That does it…” he said slowly, pushing away his shot glass with a wild look in his eye. “I gotta talk t' Miroku. He'll know what t' do.”

“Wait, what?” Iro had been expected a declaration to get Kagome out of his apartment, but Inu-Yasha clearly wasn't thinking along the same lines.

Ignoring the bartender, Inu-Yasha stood, then paused and swayed as the drinks he'd consumed smacked him in the head like a hammer. “Ooh…” With a shake of his head, he blinked and mumbled, “Miroku…” once again, then staggered doggedly to the doorway. It was time to finally get some answers.

oOoOoOo

“Damn it…” came the muttered curse through ruby lips as Kagura flew low over the rooftops of the city, perched on an enormous feather as she scanned the ground below with sharp eyes. “If that pompous ass Muso knows as much about Inu-Yasha as he says he does, why doesn't he know where the pup lives?!”

Following the orders given to her by Naraku, she had set out two days ago to find the half-breed Inu-Yasha, but with no information as to where he lived, she was forced to search from above for any sign of him, hoping to find some trace of his demonic aura that would help her pinpoint his location. But with him being a half-demon, she had to be very close to him to feel it. It was slow, fruitless work, and she had suffered quite a bit during it. Not even two hours ago there had been a torrential downpour that chilled her to the bone and left her dripping wet; she was forced to create a gust of wind to dry out her sopping clothes, and the whole situation left her quite irritated.

Sighing, she sat back and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the wind on her face. Perhaps I shouldn't complain, she thought. Naraku has never given me this much time above ground before. It's nice to fly free with the winds rather than be stuck in that dank hole in the ground… “Hm?”

Blinking her eyes open again, for she finally felt the slightest trace of demonic aura, she peered over the side of her feather and scoured the ground below, searching. It took only a moment before she caught sight of the mane of silver hair, standing out like a beacon in the darkened city, as its owner wandered out of a dingy building along the side of the road.

“At last.” As she swooped down, she ran over her orders in her head one more time: toy with Inu-Yasha. Do not kill him. Wound him if possible. But most importantly, make certain he realizes who you are.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she had to ask Naraku how Inu-Yasha was going to know who she was. After all, she had only been born a few months prior—there was no way the demon would know who she was.

“You are born of me,” Naraku had told her in reply. “Inu-Yasha will recognize any of my offspring by my scent, and thus he will learn of my existence.”

Hmph, she thought. So I'm the scapegoat. Well, at least I'm out of that hellhole for a while. I'll make this worth it.

Taking a deep breath, she whipped her metal fan out and created an enormous gust of wind, riding it down to the street level and watching with glee as Inu-Yasha was blown head over heels into a parked car—clearly, he hadn't been expecting the attack. Leaping off her feather onto the sodden street as she turned her ride back into a hair pin, she strode over to the bewildered figure on the ground and snapped her fan shut, pointing it straight at his heart.

“Greetings, Inu-Yasha,” she said curtly as he slowly pushed himself upright on the hood of the car, looking quite confused and disgruntled. To be honest, she was rather surprised by his actions; from all the hype Naraku had given him, she had expected some sort of battle-hardened monster, prepared for an and all attacks that might come his way. But no matter. The rather dumb-looking oaf in front of her would simply make the job easier. “I am Kagura, the wind witch. You would do well to remember that name.”

Inu-Yasha seemed to flounder for a moment, his hand slipping on the rain-slick surface of the car as he tried to sit up, but his expression was quickly changing from one of confusion to one of anger. “Wha'… wha'… Well, who th' hell're you?!” he snapped when he finally slid off the hood of the car and onto his feet, gazing furiously at her with bloodshot eyes.

“I… I just told you.” Kagura paused, for she had prepared a speech to give, but now was far too puzzled by his actions. Peering closer at him, she finally glanced over to the building that he had exited and noticed it was a bar, and at last she understood. “Ah… Been drinking, I see. How disgusting.”

A snarl tugging at his lips, he shouted back in reply, “First ya knock me over, an' then you insult me, an' now you're wastin' my time! Dammit woman, I gotta see Miroku! Now get outta th' way!”

Slowly, she started to chuckle, which then turned into full-blown laughter. This was the half-breed that Naraku was so intent on finding? This was the drunken lout that Naraku had spent so much of his time and energy to overcome? It was hard not laugh, thinking of her powerful master terrified of such a pathetic figure wobbling in front of her.

“Oh… Oh my…” she said slowly as her laughter began to die down. “This is—“ her remark was cut off rather abruptly a fist smashed into her cheek, sending her flying backwards to land with a splash in a puddle of dirty rainwater.

“I said, get outta my way!” Inu-Yasha snapped, staggering forward a couple steps from the force of his own punch. As Kagura stared up at him from the puddle with a look of pure shock, he ignored her, stumbling past and grumbling under his breath in irritation.

“Damn demons…” she heard him mutter. “Always in th' way…”

She remained in the puddle long after he had walked away, still reeling from the surprise blow. Perhaps he wasn't one to underestimate after all… He hadn't been the least bit frightened or concerned by her presence; rather, he seemed annoyed more than anything, and viewed her more as a distraction than a worthy opponent.

“Hmph.” With a quick shake of her head to get her wits back, she climbed to her feet and shook the excess water from her clothes, sighing with displeasure at being soaked for the second time in one evening. Whatever his reaction to her, there were still things that needed to be investigated.

Pulling out her cell phone, given to her by Muso so they could communicate, from a pocket that had fortunately survived the splash, she punched in a number and waited impatiently for the annoying politician to answer.

“Kagura, I'm in the middle of writing a speech now, can't this wait until later?” came Muso's irritated voice over the phone.

“This has to do with our assignment from Naraku,” she snapped in reply.

“Ah. What is it you need?”

“You and Kanna need to meet me at the corner of 146th and 2nd street. I've got tasks for the both of you.”

“Do you really thing you can order me around in such a way, Kagura?”

“Just do it, human.”

It took Muso but a few minutes to arrive, with Kanna sitting silently in the passenger's seat next to him. Rolling down the window, he leaned out and asked, “What is it? Did you—“ he abruptly stopped speaking when he caught sight of the wind witch, soaking wet with a purpling bruise on her swollen cheek. She saw him working furiously to hold back a grin, which did not help her disposition in the slightest.

“I found him,” she began curtly, deciding to avoid the conversation Muso was hoping to have. “But he went running off. I don't think the drunken fool even caught a whiff of my scent.”

“So what do you need us for?” Muso asked.

“I want you to go talk with the bartender of the bar he was drinking at.” She gestured at the Cornerstone Tap a few buildings down the road. “See if you can get any information out of him. Kanna, you're going to come with me to do some spying. Inu-Yasha said he needed to see Miroku, and I want to record that information. Something useful may come of it.”

Nodding, Muso refrained from saying anything; much as he didn't care for Kagura, her plans were smart, for any and all information they could collect about Inu-Yasha was helpful to remain in good standing with Naraku. “All right, Kanna, out you go.”

The pale woman silently climbed out of the car and went to stand by Kagura, her camera ever-present around her neck. With one final glare at Muso, Kagura procured her flying feather once again, and together she and Kanna chased after Inu-Yasha, keeping a healthy distance above to avoid detection. Kagura was fairly certain that he was too drunk to notice, but his surprise punch kept her on her toes, and she decided not to push matters.

As they came upon the Order's headquarters, she hung back as Inu-Yasha decided to forgo the front doors and simply leapt up the fire escape stairs, staggering a couple times at the landings before finally reaching the top floor. Then, tapping roughly on the window, someone came to open it for him and he tumbled inside.

“All right. Have that thing ready, Kanna,” she ordered, nodding at the girls camera. Flying up close to the window, she kept out of sight, pressing up flat against the brick outer wall in order to hear the conversation going on inside. Glancing at her companion, she made certain the camera was in position.

All right… she thought hopefully as the conversation inside began. I hope Naraku will pleased with this. I don't want to be chained down there again…

oOoOoOo

Inu-Yasha, who had already forgotten about the attack made on him, slowly but surely made his way towards the Order's HQ, determined to get some answers. Passing up the front doors, for elevators often made him nauseous, especially if he had been drinking, he instead leapt up the fire escape stairs. Finally, after almost falling more than once, he peered into the window on the top floor and rapped loudly on the glass.

Both Miroku and Sango nearly jumped out of their skin to see a person standing outside their office window, but once they realized it was Inu-Yasha, Sango quickly got up to let him in.

“Honestly, Inu-Yasha, the window? What's so bad about using the door?” she chided as he crawled inside and promptly dropped to the floor.

Letting out a low growl, he shook his head to clear it and carefully sat up, staring around until he finally found Miroku, who was watching bemusedly from his desk. “You. I need help.”

“Yes, you do,” Miroku replied, a grin tugging at his lips. “Is this all you came to tell me?”

Growling again, Inu-Yasha pushed himself to his feet and waved Sango away. “I need help `bout Kagome,” he said, trying to specify. “Iro said somethin' that doesn' sound right.”

Miroku, who had long since grown used to being told bits and pieces of stories as a drunken Inu-Yasha muddled through them over the years, sighed and shook his head. “What did Iro say? Was it something about Kagome?”

“Yeah. He thinks I should get rid o' her, `cause she's messin' my life up.”

Although he strongly disagreed with that comment, he asked calmly, “And do you think that?”

“No!” Inu-Yasha snapped back vehemently, clutching the corner of Miroku's desk as he swayed on his feet. “But when I told Iro that, he said that if I didn' wanna get hurt again, I should get rid o' her. An' I don' wanna get hurt again.”

Glancing over at Sango, who was silently watching the conversation, Miroku sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Inu-Yasha, Iro's just trying to keep your business, that's all. If Kagome actually helps you get back on your feet, then he will lose all the money he makes off of you, which is a good amount. I wouldn't listen to anything he tells you.”

“But… But he's right, though!” Inu-Yasha argued, looking a little panicked. “What if Kagome ends up like—“

“Inu-Yasha.”

Inu-Yasha abruptly stopped talking, staring at Miroku with a mix of anger and confusion.

“Inu-Yasha, don't dwell on the what-ifs. They'll do you no good. Now, did you know that Kagome called us yesterday and told us what happened? That you had decided to try and stop drinking on your own? We asked her why, and she said that you were doing it for her. Do you understand how amazing that is?”

Inu-Yasha stared stupidly at him, looking very uncertain. “W-what…?”

“Inu-Yasha, you have been a drunk for eight years now. Eight. And yet you are willing to give up your whiskey for this woman! You feel that Kagome is worth living without alcohol for! Doesn't that tell you something? Perhaps it's time you took a chance on her, Inu-Yasha. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.”

Slowly, Inu-Yasha staggered back and collapsed onto the couch, concentrating hard on his ratty sneakers. “…So stupid…” he muttered under his breath, resting his head in his hand. “I'm so damn stupid…”

Miroku let out a light chuckle and propped his feet up on his desk, rather pleased with himself. “Got any other problems you need help with?”

Surprisingly, Inu-Yasha really did consider the question, and at last he lifted his head and said, “What about my drinkin'? Kagome doesn' like it when I drink, an' she didn' like it when I didn' drink. What should I do `bout that?”

Once again, Miroku looked over at Sango, who was frowning at the comment. During their phone call with Kagome, she had told them about Inu-Yasha's declaration to quit drinking, and how she had rejected it due to his reasoning. Sango was terribly displeased, but Miroku had once again urged her to have faith in Kagome, so she had refrained from mentioning anything, much as she wanted to.

With a small, reassuring smile at her, he turned back to Inu-Yasha, who was staring earnestly at him, clearly eager for an answer.

“Kagome knows what she's talking about, Inu-Yasha. She's just worried about you. I suggest, rather than trying to quit drinking on your own and for your own reasons, you put some trust in her. Don't try to quit drinking, try to figure out the right reason to quit drinking. Kagome only wants the best for you, and I think you should follow her instructions.”

The last bit of tension seeped out of Inu-Yasha's body at that answer. No longer so wild-eyed and panicked, he let out a sigh and slumped down in the couch. “So simple...”

A hush fell over the room. All of the tension, anxiety, urgency, and surprise was gone, leaving a calming feel in the room. Staring down at the floor, Inu-Yasha finally mumbled, “Will you give me a ride home?”

With a slight grin tugging at his lips, Miroku nodded. “Of course.”

oOoOoOo

Clad once again in her cat-print pajamas, Kagome flipped on Inu-Yasha's TV and flopped down on the end of the couch, slowly beginning to run a comb through her damp hair. When she had gone out to do her errands, a torrential downpour had left her soaked for the rest of her trip, and by the time she had finished hauling eight bags of groceries up the stairs she was shivering from the cold and wet. Thus, a hot shower and her comfy pajamas had been next on her list after putting away the food.

Methodically pulling the comb through her dark locks, she let out a yawn—it was tiring, carrying such heavy bags of food up six flights of stairs, and she was glad for the task to be over. She had hoped Inu-Yasha would have been around to help her, but she figured he would either be too weak from lack of drink or too drunk to do much. She had the feeling that, after their conversation that afternoon, Inu-Yasha's resolve had finally cracked, and he had gone off to the Tap.

“Such a foolish boy…” she sighed quietly to herself.

Suddenly, the front door was shoved open, making her jump and drop her comb in surprise. However, it was only Miroku and Inu-Yasha, Miroku supporting the demon as they staggered awkwardly inside.

“Oh! Inu-Yasha, I was wondering where you had gotten off to. I'm glad to see you're home.”

Lifting his head at the sound of her voice, he peered blearily around until he spotted her in the living room. Then, without a word, he pulled away from Miroku's steady support and stumbled over to the couch to sit next to her, fixing her with a stern glare.

Glancing at Miroku, although he seemed to be just as curious as she with the demon's actions, she slowly asked, “Inu-Yasha? Are you all right?”

“Yer a confusin' woman,” he slurred after a moment, staring unabashed into her eyes.

“U-um… Thank you?”

His expression eased, and soon a small smile appeared on his flushed face. “But I'll be damned if you aren' worth it all.”

She immediately felt a blush rise in her cheeks as he shifted next to her, stretching out on the cushions so he could rest his head in her lap, just as he had done the night of the gala. Once again looking over at Miroku as Inu-Yasha tugged the thin blanket off the back of the couch, Kagome gave him a look as if to say, `what the heck just happened?!'. Miroku, with a silent laugh, merely shook his head and waved goodbye. He certainly didn't want to intrude on their evening.

Glancing down at her lap as Miroku quietly shut the door, Kagome couldn't help but smile as Inu-Yasha slowly drifted off to sleep, looking more peaceful than he had in days. She didn't know exactly what sort of trials and tribulations he had gone through that day, but whatever it was must have helped him, and she couldn't have asked for more.

Smoothing his hair away from his face, she whispered, “Good night,”, and received a soft snore in reply.

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