InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heart's Landfill ❯ The Perks of Friendship ( Chapter 27 )

A/N: All characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I am so sorry for the long wait for this update, but I needed to focus on school and now… Well, now I'm done for three whole months and I have nothing to do, but work and write!! Yeah!! I hope you guys like this chapter, because I really enjoyed writing it!! Damn, it feels good to actually be able to post something!! Thanks to everyone that waited patiently, and a special thanks goes out that one special person that emailed me letting me know that she was waiting and that I needed to get up off my ass!! Oh, and a very, very, very special thanks to my wonderful beta, Neko, who never lets me down!! I don't really know where my other beta is, but if she's reading this, well… “You need to email me, quick!” (Grins cheekily) I just found her. Thanks Akiko!!

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Malcolm, Nola, and Dr. Aikio.

Chapter 27

The Perks of Friendship

Taking a strong drag off his cigarette, he watched with bored eyes as she dropped the last of her clothing to the floor and turned to face him, a grin on her face that he was sure was meant to appear alluring, sexual, tempting…

Her attempt failed miserably.

Stretched out on the bed in his guest bedroom in nothing more than a pair of unbuttoned baggy jeans, he forced a smile as the woman, whom he'd met earlier that morning at the corner store, climbed onto the foot of the bed and began to slowly crawl her way towards him.

Inuyasha knew that, at this moment, he should've been feeling something along the lines of being turned on, but he felt nothing with the exception of boredom. Taking another drag off his cigarette, he exhaled slowly in an attempt to hide the sigh that he could no longer hold.

`What the fuck is she doing?'

Staring at the native Japanese woman's deep brown eyes as she slowly dragged her un-manicured nails down over his firm pecks, to his stomach, causing him to shiver slightly; a wayward thought occurred to him when he knew he should've been, at the very least, trying to remember what she said her name was, `I wonder what Kagome's doing?'

Granted, he didn't mind thinking about Higurashi-they were friends after all-but now of all times? How fucked up was that? How disrespectful was it to this woman that probably thought she had his undivided attention?

As the woman took one of his nipples into her hot, moist mouth, Inuyasha brought his arm up so that his forearm was lying over his eyes, shutting out the scant daylight that crept in through the closed blinds. Perhaps, subconsciously, he was also trying to shut out the woman that was now greedily sucking on his right nipple as if she thought she was going to find milk or some other liquid substance.

He grimaced, shutting out the woman all together as his mind twisted abrasively and dredged up a conversation he'd had with Kagome a night or so ago.

“I was thinking about buying a dog. Do…do you want to go with me to pick it out?” Kagome queried skeptically.

“Why the hell would I want to do something like that?” he spat, one eyebrow raised higher than the other.

She looked almost hurt as she replied, “Well, you don't have to be mean about it, I was just asking-“

“Please, as if I'd help you pick out any animal just so you could mistreat it.” Snatching the box of popcorn out of her hand as the opening credits of the movie began to play across the massive screen, he finished, “You can barely take care of yourself. I'm not about to help you mistreat a poor defenseless animal.”

Growling, she tried again, “But Inuyasha-“

Cutting her off, he retorted, while barely holding in his laughter, “Don't but me. No-hell no! It ain't going to happen, wench! Now shut up; you dragged me to this goddamn move-so watch it.”

A loud sucking sound drew him out of his memory, and he scrunched up his face in annoyance.

`This isn't supposed to be like this.'

Whatever this woman thought she was doing, it wasn't working. Here she was licking, suckling, and touching him, and all he could do was think about Kagome and her asinine idea of wanting to buy a dog.

`I swear that woman barely knows if she's coming or going half the time, and she actually believes she can take care of a damn dog? With the hours she works, she'll barely be there to take care of it. The damn animal will starve, or either she'll over feed it and…'

Leaning up so that he was on his elbows, he reached over and dropped the burned out cigarette butt into the glass ashtray on the nightstand. Staring down at the woman that was methodically licking her way down his abdomen to his groin, he couldn't stop the feeling of apprehension that swept over him.

`What was her fucking name? Liola? Lui? Lolo? Luckyfucker? Shit, what the fuck was it?' he thought absently.

His head tilted from side to side as he stared down at the top of her head. He could feel her hand reaching slowly into his boxer briefs and it did nothing to arouse him, but still he watched.

Her hand grasped his penis possessively and squeezed it lightly, and still nothing happened. There was no blood rushing to his groin, there was no anticipation, and there was no-absolutely no-desire. It wasn't that he didn't want to fuck her-he did, he really did.

When he'd ran into her at that the store earlier in the day, they'd shared a few cordial words or what not, which led to them catching brunch together. How that had actually happened, he couldn't rightfully say. But he could say that perhaps if they had met when he was in a different frame of mind, she would have been something nice to parade around town with for a little while.

She was a little shorter than him, with waist length long black hair, a sexier than hell build, perfect teeth, and he could tell from just talking to her that she was educated.

`She would have certainly made quite the treat, if only for a little while', he mused. But even knowing all that, it still wasn't enough to garner his attention in the way that he would've liked her to. Therefore, he surmised, he had little to no use for her.

Pushing her away gently, he swung his legs off the bed and stood quickly to his feet as he began to zip up his jeans. Glancing over his shoulder at the woman, he stated, “I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now, I have to go meet this guy at this place across town somewhere about this thing.”

He knew it probably sounded like absolute crap, which it was, but at this point he really didn't care! He just wanted her to take the hint and leave.

The woman looked at him as if he had lost his mind, but he pushed past that. “Leave your number on the table by the door, maybe we can pick up where we left off later on this week,” he offered as he started towards the door, leaving the baffled woman staring after him.

He knew the real reason why his dick wouldn't get hard. He also knew why his mind wouldn't focus on the woman, but for the life him and even as he picked his cell phone up off the table and dialed her number, he refused to give voice to it.

“Oi, where are you?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to make sure that you aren't doing what I think you're doing,” the hanyou replied as he grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor.

“Well, you made it quite clear that you wanted nothing to do with my mistreatment of animals, so I enlisted the help of a friend of mine.”

Huffing as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear, he worked his arms into the sleeves of his shirt and replied, “I know you're not talking about that miscreant you had call me? She's probably just as bad as you are.”

Kagome laughed and he had to admit, though begrudgingly, that it was a soothing thing to hear. “Sango doesn't think that I'll mistreat it. She actually thinks that it's a really good idea. So, we're going to go and pick one out as soon as she and Miroku get over here to pick me up.”

“Who's Miroku?” he asked, trying not to sound too curious, but before she could answer, he added, “Hold on a minute,” as he watched the woman, whose name he still couldn't pinpoint, make her way slowly up the hallway.

He could tell she wasn't really happy about how things had ended, but he didn't really care.

`Okay, leave, leave, leave now. Don't walk towards me. Don't walk towards me! Don't…don't… Fuck!'

She stepped up to him, leaned up on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek without saying a word as she handed him a piece of folded napkin. Watching her as she turned to leave, he couldn't stop the feeling of guilt that assailed him. Not because of what he'd done to her, but because he had Kagome waiting on the phone for him while he was saying goodbye to what was supposed to be an afternoon fuck.

`We're friends, shit, I don't owe her any explanations,' he tried to make himself believe as he placed the phone back to his ear and stated quietly, “So where were we? Oh yeah, you were about to tell me who this Miroku-fucker is.”

“He's Sango's fiancé. I've only met him once, but she said that he's pretty good with animals so he'll probably be able to help me pick out a decent puppy.”

“Whatever, you're a miscreant, she's a miscreant, and if he's engaged to her, I can almost guarantee you that he's a miscreant as well. All three of you are hopeless,” the hanyou declared matter-of-factly.

“Whatever, dog boy, I'm going to find the fattest, ugliest, meanest one I can find, and I'm going to name it after you.”

“Like hell you are!”

“Wanna bet?” Kagome shot back playfully.

“Keh, we'll see. I'll be there in a few minutes, so don't leave without me.”

“So now you want to help me, huh? Well maybe I don't need your help.”

“Feh, don't flatter yourself. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with that poor animal that's going to end up in your clutches.” He could almost hear her roll her eyes, and it caused him to smile just a little.

Over the past few weeks since she'd invited him to her home, they'd actually seen or talked to each other almost every day or every other day if only for a few moments. They'd met for lunch on couple of occasions, went out to dinner a few times, and even taken in a movie, but always as friends, that's it. Initially, it seemed like it was being forced, but it quickly became something of a routine for them.

She'd call him at the most absurd times to talk about the most ridiculous things imaginable, but he'd never tell her that he was busy even if at one or two of those times he was actually sitting in a meeting with Sesshomaru.

And he would call her late at night when he'd wake up in a cold sweat after experiencing another one of his dreams of Kikyo. There was not one time when she did not answer. No matter how sleepy she was, she always created small talk that helped to ease his racing heart and his frazzled mind; and she never asked what his dreams were about. She honestly did what good friends do; she loaned him her ear until he was comfortable enough to go back to sleep, and for that he knew he would be forever grateful.

“Whatever Takahashi, bye,” she quipped into the phone moments before the line went dead in his ear.

Closing his phone, he dropped it into his back pocket as he opened the napkin that the woman had just given him with his other hand. Glancing at the number and the lipstick kiss, he frowned thoughtfully down at it and seconds later balled it up and dropped on the counter to dispose of at a later time.

`Lineko, huh? I never would have guessed that,' he thought absently while picking up the keys to his car.

Grabbing his leather jacket off the coat rack, he headed out the door. Still refusing to admit the true reason why he couldn't perform sexually when everything in him wanted to and every part of him needed release.

Simonkal of Inuy

Looking around him as if he expected someone to be following him, Ginta nervously tapped his foot against the carpeted floor as he waited impatiently for the conveyor belt to begin turning so that he could retrieve his bag.

He'd tried taking it on the plane with him since he'd only had one suit of clothing and the bare essentials in it, but the stewardess nicely advised him after he'd already boarded the goddamn plane, that there wasn't any room left for carryon luggage, and that because the plane was already filled to capacity, either he'd have to check it or he'd have to wait for the next flight to Tokyo.

Growling out of sheer frustration, he quickly turned and tried to scan the hundreds of faces of nameless people that hurried about him. He wasn't quite sure what or who he was looking for, but he knew who he wasn't looking for-his asshole of a twin brother and his narcissistic once best friend turned boss, Kouga.

Of course, neither of them knew that he was at this very moment in Tokyo, because they were both currently in Kyushu, Japan, with Ayame and her family. From there, they were supposed to be going to Okinawa for a week or so-that's what Hakkaku had said anyway.

When his brother had advised him of that tidbit of information, he'd brushed it off with little to no acknowledgement that he'd even heard him. However, when the asshole had the audacity to actually tell him that Kouga said he better have some pertinent information on Kagome's whereabouts by the time they got back… Well, that was the last fucking straw, so to speak.

The wolf demon had flown into a rage, breaking two of his computer screens and punching more than a few holes in the walls of his office. He simply loathed the idea of helping Kouga hunt Kagome down. It made no fucking sense to him, none whatsoever!

Regardless of how much he tried to see things from Kouga's point of view, it just didn't make any fucking sense!

Kouga was married, mated, and-for all intents and purposes-happy, right? No, no matter how often he thought about it, it just wasn't ever going to make any fucking sense to him!

After calming down enough to think halfway straight, Ginta had gone back to the one computer that he hadn't destroyed, and began surfing the net for attorneys in Tokyo, which was going to be his next task anyway.

At first, he didn't find a damn thing, but he had to admit that there was a hell of a lot of attorneys to search through. After limiting the search down to the field of law that he knew Kagome practiced, he then checked for the names of law firms that had held large hiring sessions within the last 6 months to a year. When that didn't give him what he was looking for, he then broadened his search to include law firms whose names fell under the umbrella of much larger conglomerates.

That was how he initially stumbled upon her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as easy finding out her private information as he expected it would be having found her name so prominently displayed among the list of partners of the firm.

It took him a total of three days to get past the companies firewall so that he could verify that she was the right Higurashi Kagome. Once he was in, he was able to find her office number, home number, home address, cell phone number, her pay grade, her assistant's name and contact information and even her pay grade-which, he had to admit, was pretty damn good for a paralegal.

After jotting down the information that he deemed important, he quickly exited the law firm's computer network as carefully as he'd entered, leaving everything exactly the same as he'd found it.

The feeling of elation that he felt was short lived because he quickly realized that he'd finally found her, which also meant that Kouga had finally found her as well.

Just the knowledge of where she was, was also enough to turn his stomach, because he knew that eventually he'd have to tell his brother and Kouga. He'd have to tell them everything that he'd learned about her, and that did not sit well with him at all.

He had decided rather quickly that while his brother and Kouga were off doing whatever they were doing with Ayame and her family that he could slip out of Kyoto and into Tokyo, warn Kagome that Kouga was looking for her, and tell her that she needed to relocate because eventually he would come to her with smiles and promises of a future that he honestly could not give her. He wanted to warn her, or remind her that Kouga meant her no good, and that it would be in her best interest if she stayed as far away from him as possible.

Ginta figured he would then slip back into Kyoto, with no one being the wiser.

Thankfully, he still had a week and a half left before Kouga was supposed to return from Okinawa-their second stop. So, if everything went as he'd planned, he would be able to beat him at his own game, and Kouga wouldn't have an inkling that anything out of the ordinary had taken place.

Growling furiously, Ginta pushed off the huge pillar he'd been leaning on, and stamped towards the conveyor belt that was just starting to turn. “Fucking bastards! I've been waiting here for 45 fucking minutes; this shit is ridiculous,” he mumbled incoherently as he pushed a hugging couple out of his way.

Snatching his bag up off the belt, he thought hatefully, `Fuck Kouga and his bullshit!'

He'd come here to do one thing and one thing only and, come hell or high water, he would get it done!

Simonkal of Inuy

“Isn't he cute?” Kagome gushed from the kitchen where she was preparing a pot of tea.

“Feh, if you ask me it looks like someone needs to put the poor thing out of its misery,” Inuyasha offered lightly as he reclined back on the couch, his arms bent comfortably behind his head, his legs crossed at his ankles.

“I don't know, I think he's a cutie,” Sango interjected as she stared down at the black nose of the all black, blue eyed, six week old chow puppy that was partially hidden underneath the entertainment center.

Leaving his seat beside Inuyasha, Miroku crawled across the floor towards the scared pup and gently pulled him out of his hiding place. Lying across the floor on his back, he laid the pup on his chest close to his heart and began to gently run his fingers through its fur. “He just needs to get used to his new surroundings. He'll make a good guard dog someday.”

Inuyasha huffed, “Feh, that mongrel is scared of his own fucking tail; some kind of guard dog he'll make.”

“He's a puppy!” Kagome interjected as she stepped into the room with a tray of tea cups. “All puppies are scared at that age. You should know that better than any of us, Inuyasha.”

Staring from Kagome to the other two humans that were looking at him as if they were waiting for him to affirm what she said, Inuyasha pitched forward quickly and shouted, “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Just because I'm half Inu youkai doesn't mean I know a goddamn thing about that runt!”

Laughing, Miroku stated from his spot on the floor, “No need to get defensive, Takahashi-sama. I, too, was thinking that perhaps you had some innate understanding of this pup. After all, he can't seem to keep his eyes off of you.”

Glaring down at the human, Inuyasha growled low but did not respond. He'd known from the moment he'd met Miroku that he was going to dislike him with a passion. And every time since then, whenever he opened his mouth, it drove the point home a little more.

“I don't mean anything by that, Takahashi-sama. I just happen to think that maybe the pup has taken a liking to you,” Miroku offered evenly.

“Keh, whatever.”

“Play nice boys,” Sango crooned as she left the chair she was seated in and laid down on the floor beside her fiancé. “Kagome, what are you going to call him?”

Settling down next to her friend, Inuyasha, Kagome quipped as she stared at the hanyou, her eyes teasing him, “Well, I was thinking along the lines of something that begins with an `I' and ends with an `A'.”

Reaching for one of the teacups she'd just filled, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and replied, his tone bored, “Think again, wench. That shit ain't happening.”

“Well, he's my dog. I can name him whatever I want to.”

“You sure can, but my name is taken, so try again.”

Staring from Kagome to Inuyasha, Sango found it hard to believe the smile on her friend's face. From the moment she and Miroku had walked into the condo to pick Kagome up, she could feel that something was different. The woman was cheesing from ear to ear, and then the reason for that smile sauntered up the hallway from the bathroom and she understood everything quite clearly.

Sure, they bickered back in forth the entire way to the pet store, and then on the way into the pet store, and over every dog that the pet store owner showed them, but she, Kagome, had also never stopped smiling. Honestly, she had to admit that she'd never seen her friend look any happier than she did right now.

`Those two really need to pull their heads out their asses,' she thought as she continued to unabashedly watch them.

They really looked cute together, didn't they? It was almost as if they complimented each other in the very same way that a rainbow complimented the sky after a summer rain, or the way that the surf of the ocean complimented the sand on the beach-there was something magical about it…them.

Scrunching up her face as she continued to watch the two of them bicker back and forth about why Kagome couldn't name her dog Inuyasha, Sango sighed lightly and decided that she needed to intervene. Turning, so that she was staring down at her fiancé, who seemed to be totally enamored with the puppy, Sango leaned down and whispered in his ear, “Play along, okay?”

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, Miroku's hand froze momentarily as he stared up at her with a look that should've clearly told her to not do whatever she was thinking about doing; but he knew her a little too well, didn't he?

Glancing over at Inuyasha and Kagome who seemed to be totally captivated with one another, he moaned begrudgingly, and then nodded hesitantly, letting her know that even though he didn't agree with whatever she was about to do, he had her back.

Grinning down at him, Sango leaned forward on her elbows and kissed him gently on the lips then quickly turned her attention back to the two bickering friends. “Kagome, it's been more than a couple of weeks since our bet ended; you know you still owe me another date, right?”

Kagome stared at the other woman as if she hadn't a clue as to what she was talking about. As realization slowly dawned on her, she couldn't help the blush that crept over her already rosy cheeks. `I can't believe she's bringing this up now with Inuyasha here!' she thought anxiously.

She hadn't even mentioned anything to the hanyou about her and Sango's bet. Not that she had to, but did she really want him to find out about it like this?

Before Kagome could attempt to change the subject, Inuyasha questioned, “Date?”

Smiling up at the hanyou, Sango answered, “Yeah. You see, two months or so ago Kagome and I made this bet.”

“Sango, don't you dare!” Kagome interjected hysterically. For some reason she just couldn't fathom Inuyasha finding out about the bet like this! It, in a way, made her feel desperate and maybe even weak, and, after her breakdown in Hawaii, she never ever wanted to appear weak in his eyes ever again!

“Why, we're all friends here, right? Besides, you have one date left; you're not planning on chickening out, are you?” Sango queried, an impish grin on her face.

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Inuyasha questioned, looking from Sango to Kagome in hopes that someone would enlighten him.

“That's right, you weren't around when they made the bet,” Miroku added, his voice set in a husky tone in order to emphasize how much he hated the bet. “You see, my sweetness over here thoroughly enjoyed coming in late to work. So our dear friend Kagome over there made this wonderful bet with her that if she came into work on time for 4 weeks in a row, Sango would get to set her up on 3-“

Cutting him off, Kagome pitched up out of her seat and shouted, her skinny pointer finger pointing at him promising him pain, “Miroku, shut up! And I didn't make the bet, Sango did! I just accepted it, shit!”

Grabbing her arm as if she was as light as a feather, Inuyasha pulled her back down so that she was sitting right beside him. Positioning the upper part of his body over her legs so that she couldn't get up again, he advised, “No, don't shut up, Miroku. I think I want to hear this.”

“Kagome, what's the deal? We're all friends here, right? Besides, it's just blind dates. You've already gone on two of them. So you only have one left,” Sango avowed as she reached around, taking the puppy from her fiancé. Setting the pup in her lap, she blinked a few times at her friend, who was staring at her as if she wanted to gut her, skin her, and leave her carcass outside for the buzzards to pick at.

“That's not the point! Inuyasha… He doesn't need…” Kagome tried to say, but stopped when she heard a slow chuckle begin to rumble out of the hanyou.

Glancing down at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously, she hissed, “Don't…you…laugh at me,” as she pitched forward wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back towards her in an attempt to stifle his escalating laughter.

Holding him down with one arm wrapped around his shoulders, she began to beat lightly on his clothed chest as she whined childishly, “Stop laughing you baka! It's not funny! It's…it's not funny; it's…it's sad.”

Sango smiled up at the two of them. Kagome was sitting back, one arm wrapped comfortably around the hanyou's shoulders, her other arm lying in the center of his chest. She was basically hugging him as she stared down at him with a school girl pout on her face while he stared up at her from where his head laid in the valley between her breasts; his laughter had now dwindled down to mere husky chuckles.

`They really do look good together, don't they? Just friends, my ass,' she thought as she watched the hanyou's eyes soften as he stared up at Kagome, who she realized was now staring over at her saying something.

“Do we have to talk about this now? Can't we discuss this later?” Kagome questioned hopefully, while trying to inconspicuously tip her head toward the hanyou who hadn't moved from where she'd placed him. “I'm sure all of us don't need to hear about this.”

Grinning, the hanyou stated, “Nonsense, keep going Sango. What have you got planned for the heathen?”

“Inuyasha, don't enable her! Didn't you call her a miscreant earlier? You can't believe anything she says,” Kagome shouted desperately.

Chuckling, the hanyou shushed her and motioned for Sango to continue with whatever she was going to say.

Taking the hint, Sango started hesitantly, “Well…” She glanced down at Miroku for help but he just stared up at her with a dumb grin on his face, as if saying you started this mess so finish it. Rolling her eyes at him, she turned her attention back to the couple-one of whom was staring at her in anticipation, the other looking like she was going to literally throw up at any moment.

Sighing, she started again, “He's tall, he's really, really nice, and he has an excellent career, Kagome. I know that's important to you.”

Staring at her, Miroku knew that she had to be picking at straws and trying to feel a way through her lie because they hadn't discussed any other dates for Kagome and she definitely didn't have any male friends of her own that she could set her up with.

“He has short black hair and he simply adores kids, even though he doesn't have any of his own,” Sango continued uncertainly.

Narrowing her eyes at her friend, Kagome had a feeling that she was lying, so she interjected quickly, “What's his name, Sango? What does he do? Where does he live?” In an attempt to call her bluff, she continued with her assault, “If you want me to go out with this guy you have to tell me more than he's nice.”

Inuyasha stayed quiet, not sure if he really wanted to hear any more of this because all of a sudden, it just didn't seem so funny anymore.

Sensing that his fiancé was about to fall flat on her face, Miroku sighed as he stepped in to save her, “Actually, he's a doctor at the hospital where I work.” He winked at Sango as she turned to face him, a grateful smile on her face, and then continued, “He's a child cancer specialist. Ummm, I'm not into men, but I have to say that he's pretty hot; at least, that's what all the nurses say. He's about as tall as Takahashi-sama, maybe a little taller, give or take a few inches. Basically, he's an all around good guy. I think, unlike the rest of the dates that you've gone on, this one might just work out.”

Inuyasha's stomach dropped into the balls of his feet, his mouth suddenly felt like sand paper, his hands began to sweat, and all he could do about the situation was blink because he could not allow himself to give voice to why the words that the miscreant's fiancé was saying were affecting him in such a way. And even if he could, he knew he had absolutely no right to.

This feeling, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this guy, whoever he was, was a doctor; it didn't have anything to do with him possibly being taller than he. He knew none of that mattered, he knew…he knew that, regardless of who it was, as long as the other person on the date was Kagome, he would probably always have a problem with it. Still, he couldn't allow himself to give voice to those feelings…those things he didn't want to understand.

Swallowing, the hanyou forced himself not to growl, not to pitch up out of Kagome's hold and rip out the human's tongue. Closing his eyes momentarily, he schooled his features as best he could, and stated, “Damn, this guy sounds like a real winner. What's his name?”

“His name is Hojo. We actually went to the same medical school,” Miroku added for good measure.

Looking down at Inuyasha, who seemed to be going that extra mile to avoid looking at her, Kagome questioned softly, feeling as if she had no other choice, “So where is it going to be this time, Sango?”

Grinning, Sango answered, “Well, I haven't gotten that far yet, but I'll have something set up for the two of you by Friday night. Maybe I'll set up something different…something special, since this is your last blind date.”

Inuyasha sat forward, pulling himself out of Kagome's hold, but he didn't say anything. He just shifted so that he was leaning away from her as he fidgeted with a tiny piece of lint that was stuck to the couch.

Miroku noticed the change immediately and wondered for the ninth time since Sango had started this little blind date rant of hers whether she knew what she was doing. He'd thought that perhaps she wanted Inuyasha and Kagome to get together as a couple, but, after this mess, he couldn't help but to wonder if whatever secret plan she had had just gone up in proverbial smoke.

Standing to his feet, the hanyou stated as he tried to make his voice sound as normal possible, “Well, I'm going to call it a night.” After straightening out his clothes, he stepped towards the door without saying another word or locking eyes with any of the people in the room.

Glaring at Sango, Kagome jumped to her feet just as he opened and closed the door behind him.

`He's upset. Wait, he can't be upset, can he?' she thought as her feet carried her towards the door he'd just exited. Stepping out in the hallway, she called his name just as he was pressing the button for the elevator.

“What's up? Why did you leave like that?” she queried coming to a stop in front of him.

Glancing at her, Inuyasha looked away and pressed the button for the elevator again feeling like a total and complete ass. He knew he had no right to be upset, jealous, or any of the things that he was feeling right now, but damn it, he felt it even though he couldn't rightfully explain exactly why it was.

Grabbing his arm, Kagome turned him to face her. “Takahashi, talk to me. What's up? It's still early and you're going home?”

“I guess I didn't realize how tired I really was,” he lied.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she crossed her arms beneath her full breasts, and snapped, “You're such a liar! When did you start that anyway?”

“Start what?” he questioned, staring at her from the corner of his eye.

“Lying to me. Sure, I haven't known you that long, but you've never lied to me. So why start now?”

“Kagome, just leave it alone, okay? Its fine,” he snapped softly as he pushed the button for the elevator again.

She couldn't explain it, but seeing him like this didn't sit right with her. It scared her, made her feel as if once he left her tonight she wouldn't see him or talk to him again, and that in itself scared the living shit out of her.

His heart was racing within his chest. He wanted to tell her that he was confused. He wanted to tell her that he was feeling things that he had no right to feel. He wanted to tell her that he wished they had never met because then his life would make sense again. He wanted to tell her…to yell at her to just go back to her friends, but he couldn't…he just couldn't.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, the hanyou sighed lightly and turned to face her, his head lowered but his eyes locked on her eyes. “Wench, I'm fine. I'm going to go home, drink me a beer, and scratch my balls. Now if you want to come home with me and scratch my balls for me, we can continue this conversation, but if not, I suggest you go back to your friends,” he finished, a wicked smirk on his handsome face.

Staring up at him, Kagome could easily tell that his comment was just a ploy to appease her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that there was something that he was trying to hide from her, something that he did not want her to see, but she'd seen it any way, hadn't she? Even though she couldn't explain or say exactly what it was or why it was there, she saw it and that was enough, wasn't it?

Even though she didn't have to, she reached up and gently adjusted the collar on his shirt as she asked softly while stepping a little closer to him, “Are you sure you're okay?”

Chuckling, Inuyasha replied, his tone exasperated, “I'm fine, wench, trust me.” Rolling his eyes, he questioned acerbically, “What? You want me to call you when I get home?”

Stepping back as the elevator dinged announcing its arrival; she playfully pushed him towards it and said just before the doors started to close, “Yes, I want you to call me as soon as you get home.” Kagome watched him roll his at her eyes again, but he smiled just the same and that was as good as a yes to her.

After the doors closed, she stood there for a moment just staring at them. She couldn't explain why every time he left her, she felt lonely, nor could she explain how their friendship had developed in such a way and so quickly.

Perhaps it was because he'd witnessed her having an emotional breakdown and had never-not once-judged her because of it; perhaps it was because regardless of his rude comments, he had never seriously tried to get her into bed, or perhaps it happened because she mentally needed it.

Kagome had realized quickly after they'd initially begun this friendship that the surly hanyou who carefully hid his heart behind cement blocks surrounded by broken jagged pieces of glass and wanted no one to know that he cared about anything was a truly decent man. She realized that until she stopped forcing her cynicism on him, she would never understand him and he…he would never really want to understand her.

Sighing lightly as she turned away from the elevator doors and started back down the hallway, she began to hum softly as she reached for the knob and twisted it.

Kagome knew she had a true friend in Inuyasha. She knew that, but would that be enough? In the end would he be happy with that? Would she…be happy…with that?

Until Next Time…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

Next Chapter: Pulse (And yes, it has already been written!)

Acknowledgments:

Lostgirl ~ Oxpeach bear ~ Olddog333 ~ Silverwolf Halfbeast ~ Tueske ~ Inuyasha Baby Bre ~ Angle-up-above-heaven ~ Inuyashalover913 ~ Fudge ~ Tarzan14 ~ Katz5678 ~ Xyanblue ~ Tora92 ~ Deipurple ~ 1love1 ~ Mynera ~ Szyszka ~ Inugoddess715 ~ Ro0tin4Kagome ~ Magedelbene ~ ScifiAmy ~ Niiicko ~