InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Headlines: A Hollywood Romance ❯ Call Me ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha, blah blah blah, whatever.

Author's Note: Yea, here I am! ^_^ Back with a new chappie. . . Didja miss me? ^_~

Anyway, I just thought I'd say that school is starting really soon for me- September 1st. And, all though I know many of you have already started, this year's a big step for me (HS!) and I'll probably be really busy. Ergo, around that time, updates will slow down a bit until I get back into the rhythm of school life. Kay? ^_^

That said, here we go!

- - - Headlines: A Hollywood Romance- - -

-Chapter Six: Call Me-

"Ugh. . ." Kagome groaned tiredly, poking and prodding her face in her dressing room. It was disgusting- she could count the number of days she'd missed sleep by the black bags under her eyes. "Damn it. . ." she sighed, cursing the terror that filled her heart whenever it came time to leave. Those burglars hadn't been back for two weeks- but the prospect of their return still scared her, as Inu-Yasha would say, shitless. She hadn't felt this miserable since . . .

"Kagome-chan?"

The actress started as someone began pounding on the door. Her agent. "Kagome-chan, are you in there? Do you need help? The shoot's gonna start in a half hour- and we need you there in time for the safety talk."

"Safety. . . ?" Kagome echoed blankly, racking her sleepy brain for what Sango could mean. Oh- yes. . . today was the cliff scene- 9 stories off the ground, blowing winds, slippery, rocky slopes- all that good stuff. Good, dangerous stuff. And she could barely put one groggy foot in front of the other.

Terrific.

Pushing her dead weight out of her chair and putting her acting skills to good use, Kagome forced a smile onto her face, hurriedly slapped some makeup under her eyes, and threw open the door. "No. I'm fine!" she chirped, so perky that Sango could almost see the little hearts that appeared at the end of her sentences. The agent blinked once, appearing a bit skeptical, but then shrugged and grinned in return.

"Well, if you're ready then, let's go," she replied, grabbing Kag's hand and dragging her into the hall, then around a few corners towards the set. "I hope you're ready for this, because I sure as hell wouldn't be."

"What do you mean?" Kagome frowned, feeling slumber tug on the back of her senses. She tried to shake it off, but it was growing harder with each passing second. "It's just that big fake drop off, right? The one that looks like the cliff from Pocahontas?"

"Yeah," Sango nodded before shooting her employer a nervous smile from over her shoulder, "but the directors decided that they wanted to do the scene without safety harnesses, to capture the true essence of fear. Didn't you get the memo?"

Kagome froze- literally- in her tracks. "They WHAT?!"

The elder woman swallowed, yanking the actress along with her. "I know. But don't worry- they'll be crewmembers around at all times to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I don't care!" Kag cried, tugging weakly on Sango's grasp but too tired to pull completely away. Even with this horrific knowledge, she could still feel herself drifting off- only half awake. "I don't want to do that scene without the harnesses!"

"Sorry," Sango winced, "but it's already been decided. You have no choice."

-

Not only, she soon discovered, did she have no will, no harness, and no choice- but she also had no sympathy from Inu-Yasha. Not that she expected some or anything, but she was surprised to see how excited her co actor was over this particular scene. It wasn't like it was all that exciting- Kikyo plummets for the umpteenth time, so Inu stands on the edge near Kagome and mourns, believing her dead again. So why he was so anxious to begin, Kag didn't understand. Perhaps it was because he knew that if he fell, he could easily save himself with his demon powers. Or maybe it was because it was one of the only scenes were he didn't have to deal so much with Kagome- she only had to stand near the edge and look frightened (which she now knew would be no problem), try and help catch Kikyo before she fell, and say: `But- Kikyo-!'.

Or it could be that he was just thrilled to see her so scared. That was probably it, now that she thought of it.

She sighed (though it came out more as a yawn than anything), and took her place, trying her best not to look down near her feet- which were dangerously close to the rocky edge.

"Now, remember!" the director cried from his high podium, watching the actors with the cameramen on a raising platform to their left. "There IS a mat down there for if you fall- and Kikyo, darling, there are crews awaiting to catch you- but I'd really prefer if none of you took a topple. M'kay?"

"Right," Inu-Yasha grinned, stuffing his arms in his sleeve as he planted his feet firmly in the middle of the fake-grass cliff. He chuckled as the crew began turning on the `wind' and setting the `sky' at stormy. "Try not to look down too much, doll," he smirked at Kag, looking thrilled to be on top of this death trap of dark brown stone and rubbery green vegetation. It all looked real, though. . . And the drop was. "Wouldn't want you throwing up."

"Har har," Kagome managed weakly. She was too sleepy to argue. . . she could feel her lead-heavy limbs waver once or twice as her eyelashes fluttered. To try to wake herself up and ignore HIM all at once, she turned to her usual double. "Aren't you scared, Kikyo-chan?"

"Nah," she beamed, looking excited. "I'm usually doing your stunts, after all. I was born to do these kinds of acts." She waved merrily at her husband, who was watched her from the ground off set. Kagome didn't even bother looking in the same direction. She didn't want to puke in front of Inu-Yasha, after all. "Now- break a leg, you guys! Uh. . ." Kikyo paused after she bubbled that particular phrase, and then laughed nervously. "But- er- not each others."

"Well. . . if you insist," Inu drawled, grinning superiorly and waiting for Kagome to make a comeback. However, even if she was feeling up to it, the director had other plans. He wanted to start.

"Okay people! Let's get this show on the road! - - -Lights!" he whispered dramatically as the half demon and `miko' got ready to begin and Kag tried her best to just keep her eyes open. "Camera! And- - -!" With an exuberant wave, the cameras started rolling.

"Kikyo!" Inu-Yasha gasped, taking a few hurried steps forward as the dead woman quickly scooted away- near the cliff edge with a look of fury on her face. "Kikyo, I swear I didn't- - -!"

"Don't lie to me, Inu-Yasha," she hissed venomously, eyes narrowed into slits of hatred as Kagome attempted to look fearful for both her `love' and her `incarnation'. But quite frankly she could do nothing but yawn- her tremors growing stronger as she slowly began to forget what was going on around her.

`So. . . sleepy. . .'

"I saw you!" Kikyo continued icily. "I saw you promise HER!" She whirled around and pointed towards Kagome- - -

But the rage in her eyes instantly deteriorated as she noticed how tipsy the young actress was. "Kagome. . . ?"

"Hmm. . . ?" the girl slurred, eyes lightly shut. "Is it. . . . my. . . cue. . . . ?"

With that she was out like a light- - -

And toppled backwards thanks to the help of the powerful fans; off the cliff completely. It took everyone a full second to realize that their star was falling, head first, 9 stories- at an incredible rate- right towards the cement floors.

Then it hit each like a ton of bricks.

"KAGOME!" Kikyo screamed, racing to the drop off and falling to her knees- reaching out as if it would catch her. But she was already way too far out of reach. "KAGOME, WAKE UP!" She didn't. Instead she continued to tumble through air like a rag doll, dead to the world.

"Shit!" Sango gasped from the set, horror clenching her heart as Miroku held her back- lest she hurt herself. "She's going to miss the mat!"

"Get the crew in there!"

"No one will reach her in time!"

"OH MY GOD, SHE'S GOING TO DIE!"

"Oh- dammit!"

Everyone's sobbing screams fell instantly silent as- quite suddenly- an irritated Inu-Yasha leapt off of the cliff- barreling towards the ground like a red bullet at neck-breaking speeds- - -

Only to, amazingly enough, reach the ground before his co star and catch her safely in his arms.

Cue jaw drops.

Not a sound could be heard throughout the entire set as the hanyou casually repositioned the girl in his embrace, carrying her off bridal style. "Keh," he muttered under his breath as everyone's stares followed him towards his dressing room. "Stupid wench."

. . .

`They don't care about each other anymore?' both agents couldn't help but think dryly, pounding their fists on their chests as if to start their hearts up again. `Bull.'

-

"Idiot. . .mumblegrumble. . . fucking moron. . . grumblesnarl. .."

How odd. . . the warm blackness that she was engulfed in was suddenly disappearing- becoming a blotchy, colored whiteness of flashing lights and the faint sound of bitching. What was going on. . . ?

"How could anyone be that. . . growlgrunt. . . I can't believe that. . . hissmutter. . ."

Kagome felt like she had suddenly gained two thousand tons. She couldn't move her arms or legs or fingers or toes- even her eyelids were a difficulty. She could feel something tugging on her memory. Like she had been doing something important and needed to get back to it. But what? Oh. . . maybe she should just go back to sleep. She still felt so tired. . .

But just as she began drifting off again, she felt a pair of clawed hands gently place a cool scrap of cloth upon her forehead- so cold that her whole upper half snapped to attention.

"Eee!" she squealed, the icy washcloth intensifying her headache- until she threw it off, of course; sending it towards the wall with a watery SPLAT.

"Oh, good," the previously complaining voice droned. "You're awake."

Yes she was. And now she was wondering what was going on. After just a brief moment she easily realized she was in Inu-Yasha's dressing room- the posters and books and the couch she was on sort of gave it away. But. . .

Blinking blearily and still a bit peeved, the actress looked down at her side to find Inu-Yasha squatting next to her with a half concerned, half annoyed expression on his face. Her torso slumped lazily as she tried to take this all in. What was Inu-Yasha. . . ? "About time, bitch. You've been out for 10 hours. You even missed closing time."

"Out. . . ?" Kagome echoed groggily, slowly lifting a hand to rub her head. It was then that she noticed that she was still wearing her Feudal Fairytale costume. Wait. . .

It all came back to her within an instant, her eyes widening as it did.

"I see- so you remember," Inu-Yasha chuckled darkly, flopping down to sit cross legged on the floor by her head as she carefully laid herself back down. He propped his elbows up on the cushions near her shoulder and rested his chin in his palm. "The doctor said you might choose to forget."

"Oh God. . ." she choked, the back of her hand still pressed lightly to her forehead. "You mean to say that I dropped 9 stories to a hard stone floor and didn't die? Impossible!"

"Yeah, Kagome," the actor drawled, staring at her dryly as he crossed his arms. "You're dead right now. Welcome to hell. I'll be your guide for eternity."

"Noooo. . ." she moaned, quickly growing angry as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. "Not funny at ALL."

"It wasn't supposed to be," he snickered. "But your expression sure is!"

As he laughed, she sighed, a single droplet of moisture trickling down her cheek as she spoke- quietly, her voice wavering. "Inu-chan, please. . ."

He instantly froze at the name, swallowing hard- before releasing a very forced: "Keh! All right, all right." Blowing out his cheeks, the half demon turned his face away. "I'm sorry. No more jokes. I caught you, okay? No big deal- you never even hit ground. You're safe, sound, and awake. Now. . ." he trailed off for a moment, before steeling his gaze and staring at Kagome once more. "I want some answers."

"What sort of answers?" she grumbled with no will to fight. "I was tired. I fell asleep."

"No shit, Sherlock!" he snapped, slowly loosing grip on his emotions again as he pushed himself up to his knees. "Tell me another!"

"Look, Inu-Yasha," Kagome growled, closing her eyes lightly, "I'm really not in the mood for this. Thanks for saving me and all- REALLY- but I'm fine now. I don't need anymore help."

"Kagome, I know you!" Inu-Yasha roared, voice growing louder and louder. "And you would forget your head if it wasn't attached- but I have NEVER seen you act like this! You've been withdrawn and timid and obviously tired- I've noticed it for quite some fucking time! Why haven't you been getting enough sleep?!" He fell silent for half a second before a new fire burst to life within his eyes. He slammed his fists into the padding of her make-shift cot. "Have you been shagging som- - -!"

SLAP!

"Inu-Yasha. . ." Kagome's thin, dangerous voice trembled as she lowered her hand, carefully sitting up once again. "If you even BEGIN to finish that sentence I may have to kill you once and for all! NO! I was NOT out SHAGGING anybody!"

"Then what the HELL is wrong, bitch?!" he bellowed, placing his hand over the red print on his cheek, glowering.

"It's none of your business!" she raged, trying to get to her feet- but felt a strong grip hold her back. She glared at Inu-Yasha before trying to pry his fingers off of her arm. Of course, to her dismay, it was near impossible due to his youkai powers. "Let go!"

"No," he hissed, removing his hand from his cheek in order to grab her other wrist. "Not until you tell me what's going on!"

"NO!" she fought, feeling her strength return as she raged against the actor, arms and legs flailing as best as she could make them. "It's not like you CARE anyway- about me or anything that happens at my house or in my kitchen!"

. . . Whoops. That sort of spoiled the whole thing.

Inu-Yasha arched an eyebrow, his hold never weakening. "Your kitchen? What happened in your kitchen?"

Kag responded to the question by glaring. He glared back, undaunted. And so they continued to glare until Kagome found she had to blink her teary eyes.

Dammit.

"Ooo- FINE!" she gave in, throwing her arms into the air and then crossing them over her chest as Inu-Yasha released them. Then, lowering her tone to a soft mutter, she continued. "A. . . few weeks ago. . . someone broke into my house."

Inu's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed as she continued.

"It scared me. . .and even though they didn't take anything and nothing else has happened- it's still put me on the edge, all right? So I haven't been able to sleep and. . . and. . ." She sniveled pathetically before giving a start when Inu-Yasha leapt to his feet with a furious frown.

"Y- you IDIOT!" he yelled, looking as if he was about to hit Kagome. Instinctively tensing and squeezing her eyes shut, said girl was half-shocked when no blow came. Then she felt foolish for believing for a moment that he would physically abuse her. No, instead, Inu simply flopped to his knees beside her, looking deadly serious. "That's dangerous!" he whispered heatedly. And before she could react he reached out and gingerly turned her chin, pushing a strand of her limp locks behind her ears. "It could be a stalker, Kagome! It could be some sort of deranged stalker and he or she could kill you!"

"I- I know. . ." she murmured, biting her bottom lip as more tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "But I. . . I didn't. . . I didn't want to worry anybody!"

"Feh!" Inu-Yasha scoffed, pulling his hands away and getting to his feet once more, yanking his coat off of his coat rack and tossing Kagome her's. "Too late for that, moron!"

Kag said nothing as he sighed- playing with the cuffing of her jacket as she managed to push herself to her feet. She was about to brush past him and leave without another word when- quite suddenly, she felt him bop her lightly over the head. Glancing up in surprise, she subconsciously blushed as he cast her a glance from the corner of his eye. Was that worry she saw inside his golden pools. . . ?!

No- it- couldn't- - - ! Why was she pink in the face?! No! No no no no no!

"Hey," he suddenly grunted as he pulled open the door, still watching her as she hurriedly began rubbing her cheeks- horrified. "I want you to call me, dammit, if anything like that happens again! Do you hear me?!"

. . .

So this is what it meant to be shocked stupid. The actress blinked dumbly up at him as she slowly lowered her hands.

"Well?!" he snarled, only calming down slightly as Kagome began to nod fervently, too flustered and surprised to do anything else. "Good."

And with that, he left without so much as a goodbye, leaving the young woman in a blank state of embarrassed bewilderment.

---

I hope y'all liked the chapter. ^_^ The beginning of a little bit of fluff! Yea! XD

Please R&R!

Ja ne!