InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heart's Landfill ❯ Playing Hooky ( Chapter 34 )

A/N: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Thank you all for your wonderful amazing reviews, and a special thanks goes out to my magnificent beta, Neko, for a job well done on this chapter and all of my chapters. I would also like to send a little shout out to all of my readers that are dealing with the aftermath of Ike (I don't know why Tina didn't just eat the damn cake…lol). Even though I'm in NC and didn't really have any effects of the storm, I do have a large number of family members in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands that I haven't been in contact with since Ike hit, so I'm actually not as untouched as I would like to believe. Anyway, you will all be in my prayers and I hope to hear from each of you soon. Stay blessed, my friends.

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, Malcolm, and Dinshu. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 34:

Playing Hooky

The silver Kawasaki Contour zipped in and out of traffic, causing everything that it passed to appear as nothing more than a collage of colors fading in and out of one another.

Kagome had always thought of motorcycles as merely loud nuisances that were driven by young boys and men that felt they had some kind of point to prove to society, or either they were driven by old men…aging men that were going through some kind of midlife crisis.

However, it wasn't until she'd climb onto the back of this one that she realized that maybe she knew nothing at all about the bikes themselves or the people that drove them. She also realized that perhaps all of her beliefs about them were stereotypical at best.

This bike, which she had decided to call The Silver Streak, hummed so quietly that she seriously doubted that a person driving nearby with their music blaring would even be able to hear it coming. Not to mention the driver, he didn't-not that she believed-have a bad boy streak that he wanted the world to see. The bike quite honestly just suited him, didn't it?

It was the definition of quiet strength. At first sight, it seemed menacing almost deadly, but its looks were so deceiving. The speed… The internal power… The suave sleek exterior…

Kagome scooted in closer, pressed her body firmly against Inuyasha's back, and wrapped her arms tighter around his waist as he dashed through a few more lights and veered onto the highway. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she couldn't help but smile into the red and silver helmet that he'd forced her to wear upon picking her up.

She hadn't a clue as to where exactly they were going, but in all honesty, she couldn't really say that she cared.

She had to admit that the weekend that they had shared together was by far the best weekend she'd ever spent with anyone. When he woke her up earlier that morning to tell her that he was leaving so that he could go home and get dressed for work, she was a little…well, more than a little saddened.

It wasn't that she didn't want him to leave, which she didn't, but more than that, she didn't want the weekend to end.

After their Saturday morning romp in the sack, they had awakened a little after noon and actually made it out of bed long enough for her fix them something to eat for lunch. After they ate, they'd then taken Ashton on a long walk down to the park. Upon their arrival back to her apartment, Inuyasha had tried to tell her that he was going to head out, but she quickly stopped that by going into her room and stripping down to her bare essentials moments before she came back out and gave him a kiss goodbye.

Even now, thinking about how underhanded that was, she couldn't stop herself from blushing. When had she ever been so forward, so wanton with anyone?

Anyway, their Sunday morning almost started the same way as their Saturday morning did, with the exception that she was the one to rise first, walk and feed Ashton, buy Inuyasha breakfast, and there was no sex between them. Instead, they cuddled in bed or on the couch all day sharing little things about themselves.

As the night rolled in, he'd asked her if she wanted to go out to catch a movie and get dinner, but she reminded him that she owed him a cooked meal. So, they decided that she would cook and they would watch their favorite movies; hers, The Princess Bride, his, Face Off with Nicolas Cage.

That night they'd made love again, but it wasn't like it was the first time or even like any of the other times that they'd done it over the weekend. That time, it was as if he was trying to tell her or show her something. It was as if he was trying to ingrain himself in her, and vice versa.

He'd taken his time kissing and caressing every inch of her body from head to toe, and back to front. He'd teased and taunted her almost to the point of insanity, while demanding softly that she promise to never let anyone touch her, or hold her like he did. And with every rock of her hips, every whisper of his name, and every flick of her tongue against his skin-she promised.

As he came… As they came together, which was something that she'd never experienced before, his molten gaze stared down into hers, laced with something so infinite, so tender, so guarded that when she pulled him down to her and kissed him passionately while her body quacked against his, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing down the sides of her face.

He hadn't said anything about it while he gently kissed them away, but as he pulled her close and held her, she understood everything that neither one of them dared to say. She understood that even though he knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship, it didn't stop him from cherishing her. She understood that even though he wasn't ready for a relationship, or rather the labels that came along with a one, it didn't mean that he would hurt her, use her, or toss her aside.

She understood that… She understood that she mattered to him, and regardless of whether he ever told her, it wasn't going to change. She was…she was important to him.

Sighing as she tightened her hold on him once more, she was glad that the visor of the helmet was darkly tinted so he couldn't see the solitary tear trailing out the corner of her eye.

When he'd shown back up at her place mere moments before she was supposed to walk out the door to go to work, wearing a pair of baggy button fly jeans, a red polo shirt, and a pair of black timberlands, Kagome didn't know what to think.

Flashback

“Inuyasha, what are you doing here?”

Stepping through the door, one hand behind his back, the hanyou grinned. “I was wondering something,” he started. “When was the last time that you played hooky?”

Frowning, Kagome tried to wrap her head around exactly what he was trying to ask her. Hooky? What the hell is he talking about?

Grinning devilishly, Inuyasha stepped towards her after noticing the forlorn look in her eyes. Pulling her to him with one hand, he questioned, “You do know what hooky means, don't you?”

Blushing, Kagome's expression softened as she gazed up at him and replied, “Of course, I know what hooky means, Dog-boy.”

“Good,” the hanyou quipped. “So, do you want to play hooky with me today?”

Lifting up her arms so that they were wrapped around his neck, Kagome leaned in and kissed him. “I can't. I have a lot of appointments scheduled for today.”

Inuyasha frowned lightly as he released her and stepped back. Turning back towards the door, he stated over his shoulder, “I understand. Maybe…maybe I'll just go ask that girl from the café down the street. I'm sure she'll play with me.”

Narrowing her eyes at his back, since he'd told her how the girl had ogled him the morning that he'd went and bought them breakfast, Kagome couldn't stop that ugly green dragon from rearing its repulsive head.

“You wouldn't!”

Turning towards her, while still hiding his other hand behind his back, Inuyasha retorted, his face set in a despondent scowl, “Well, my first choice shot me down. So, what do you really expect me to do? Go into work after I've already called and told Nya to reschedule all of my appointments?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kagome glared at him. “This is so unfair! You can't just…” Stomping away from him, she continued agitatedly, “I…I… You can't… Damn it, Takahashi.”

Inuyasha grinned at her, knowing full well that he had no intentions of asking that counter girl to do a damn thing with him, but if Kagome believed it and it got him another full day with her then he was cool with that.

Reaching for the door handle, he twisted the knob and opened the door as he avowed, “Alright then, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow night or something.”

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Kagome snapped heatedly, “And why won't I be talking to you until tomorrow night?”

“Because wench, you know I don't do anything half way. If she spends the day with me, then she has to spend the night with me too. And if she's really good, only God knows when you'll actually see-“

A remote control slamming against the wall close to his head caused him to shut up, as he turned his attention towards Kagome, who was glaring dangerously at him. Her eyes were telling him that if he continued with his current line of speech, he wouldn't have balls to do anything with anyone ever again.

Inuyasha swallowed, deciding quite quickly that maybe he'd taken his little game a bit too far. Staring down at the remote that was now broken in two with its batteries thrown all over the floor, he stated in an attempt to sound serious, “Has anyone ever told you that violence isn't always the answer?”

“And has anyone ever told you that you don't tell the woman that your sleeping with that you're going to pick up some other woman and fuck her?” Kagome bit out angrily.

Stepping back into the house and closing the door behind him, Inuyasha offered softly with a boyish grin, “So, stop me. Play hooky with me.”

The anger she was feeling drained away as she listened to his softly uttered request. “Takahashi, I can't. I want to, but…but I can't.”

Stepping a little closer, he replied, “You can.”

Sighing as she glanced up at him, she shook her head, but didn't reply.

Taking another step towards her, Inuyasha pulled her into his arms once more and whispered as he ran his hand gently up and down her back while leaning down to her ear. Flicking out his tongue, he traced it along her earlobe and whispered, “For me…you can…you will.”

Kagome melted into him, hating herself for being so weak where he was concerned and liking it just the same. Bringing her arms up so that they were around his neck, she whispered softly, “Have I told you how much I hate you?”

Chuckling, the hanyou leaned back and kissed her on the forehead. “Not today, you haven't.”

“Well, I do,” Kagome declared, the look in her eyes saying the total opposite. Stepping back away from him, she questioned as she picked up the cordless phone off the counter, “So where are we going?”

Pulling his hand out from behind his back, Inuyasha set the motorcycle helmet down on the counter next to her and grinned cheekily. “For a ride.”

End Flashback

I'm such a sucker, Kagome thought as the bike exited off of the interstate and onto a mountain road.

Lifting the visor of the helmet, she questioned, “Takahashi, where are we going?”

He glanced back at her quickly, his dark Oakley riding glasses hiding his beautiful eyes from view. “Doesn't really have a name, wench. Just relax and enjoy the ride, we'll be there in less than an hour.”

Staring at him as he turned his attention back to the narrowing road ahead of them, Kagome smiled unsurely as she glanced around at the scenery. She could immediately tell by the large amount of trees lining the streets and the sparse amount of people that they passed that were leading donkeys and other farm animals into the foliage that they were no longer in the city.

Sighing softly, she closed her visor and laid her chin back on the hanyou's shoulder as she quickly determined that she didn't really care where they were, or where they were going as long as she was with him…with Inuyasha.

Closing her eyes, she shifted her hold on him so that one of her hands was wrapped across his chest, gripping his shoulder while the other one hugged his waist.

She missed the look of absolute contentment that he gave her.

Simonkal of Inuy

Staring up at the 45 plus story skyscraper, Kouga narrowed his eyes as he pulled the piece of torn paper out of his pocket. Looking down at it, he made sure that he had the right address, which he decided quickly that he definitely did.

The piece of paper was one of two pieces that Dinshu had located within Ginta's knapsack and he was determined to visit each of the addresses in hopes of locating whomever the damnable prick had visited while in Tokyo.

He had given Dinshu the other piece of paper and advised him to check it out and talk to whoever was at the address to see if they saw or talked to Ginta or knew anything about Kagome's whereabouts. He'd also told him to use force if absolutely necessary, but he better not come back to him empty handed or he'd pay with his ass, literally.

Shoving the piece of paper back in his pocket, Kouga ran his fingers through his long midnight black ponytail, while running his other hand down over his pressed slacks smoothing out invisible wrinkles.

Sure, Kouga could have easily put this task in the hands of one of his many minions, but he was quickly beginning to think that he was truly surrounded by a bunch of idiots. They were excellent at killing people or roughing them up, sure, but when it came down to locating certain people-one in particular-they were as clueless as they come.

Bunch of fucking idiots, he thought pushing the door open and stepping into the lobby.

His blue eyes quickly scanned the busy area, and within a few scant seconds he located the information desk and proceeded towards it.

Knowing that he would get very little information by being nasty, not to mention, the place was full of police officers and security guards, Kouga stepped in line behind a short, elderly, white-headed gentlemen and waited patiently for his turn.

Eyeing the crowd again, his eyes landed on a pretty little thing with long black hair that fell to the middle of her back. She had on a tight fitting black dress that hugged her curves like a painted on glove, and revealed just enough cleavage to cause a man's mind to wonder. Taking in the calves of her powerful looking legs, Kouga couldn't help but to lick his lips as he imagined those same legs wrapped tightly around him as he drove into her repeatedly while she screamed his name and raked her nails down his back.

Good God, I need to move to Tokyo, he thought as he watched the woman stop, lean against one of the large white pillars that lined the lobby, and adjust the back strap of her black stiletto heels.

He knew she was human, but he didn't care. Hell, being a mated youkai that was actually the only type women he was able to bed, because any female demon with half a brain wouldn't fuck with him at all since they could smell Ayame all over him.

Pushing all thoughts of his wife out of his mind, Kouga watched as the woman he'd been gawking at ran her hand down her dress, and readjusted her purse on her shoulder moments before stepping towards the elevators.

She must have felt him looking at her, because as she stepped on one of the elevators, she looked over at him and smiled.

Definitely…need to…move to…Tokyo, the wolf demon thought idly as he smirked back at her while the room in the front of his slacks reduced dramatically.

“Sir, is there something I can do for you?” the young woman behind the information desk queried, cutting into Kouga's wayward thoughts.

“Uh, yeah. I'm…” Pulling his thoughts off the strange woman and back towards the reason he was in Tokyo, the youkai started again, “Yes, actually, I was hoping to visit with one of my old girlfriends. I believe she works in this building, but I'm not sure exactly which floor she works on. If I gave you her name would you be able to tell me which floor she's on?”

“Well, this is a secure building, Sir. Unfortunately, even if I give you the information you're requesting, I wouldn't be able to let you go up to her floor without calling up there and getting the okay.”

Kouga leaned forward onto the counter, a cocky little smile on his face. “I would really appreciate it if you didn't do that, because I was hoping that I could, you know, surprise her.” Licking his lips, he leaned a little further over the counter, his eyes locked on the young woman that he was sure was fresh out of high school. “Help me out, Sweetheart. Help me surprise her. What'da you say?”

The women blushed at the closeness of his face to her own as she asked softly, “Well…Well let's see if this is her building first. What's her name?”

“Higurashi Kagome,” Kouga replied with a smirk. Staring down at the young woman's lap, he tried to imagine the color and type of panties that she was wearing beneath the bland colored gray uniform she was wrapped in.

I bet they're bloomers, and they're probably white with pink trim and a tiny little pink bow in the middle, he thought while sniffing inconspicuously taking in the scent of the woman's vagina. Damn near a virgin, and perfect for a quick fuck, he finished as he stared down at her, his mind a blur of images with her bent over in a million different positions.

“Higurashi Kagome…” the young woman repeated jarring him out of his thoughts. “Uh, yes sir, she works in this building, but unfortunately because she is a partner in the law firm, her suite number and office numbers have been blocked out.”

Kouga's heart palpitated in his chest. She's here… So close… Kagome, you're up there, he thought leaning back. Schooling his features, his eyes downcast, he asked, “Are you sure there's nothing that you can do for me? I haven't seen her in years and it would just make my millennium if I could see her for a few minutes.”

“I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't.” The woman punched a few more buttons on her keyboard and then advised, “Even her assistant's name has been blocked out, but I do have her floor. I don't know what the set up is up there, or if they're on the same floor, but if you want that…”

An annoyed scowl fell over his face, but was gone just as quickly as it came. “What floor?” he questioned softly as he bit down gently on his lower lip while staring her down as if she was the best thing he'd seen since sliced bread.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, the young woman glanced down quickly at her screen and answered, “37th Floor.”

Placing his two forefingers to his lips, he kissed them, and then reached across the counter and placed it against hers just as she looked up at him, a deep blush staining her cheeks. “Thanks, baby doll. Maybe when you get done here, you and I can grab a bite to eat,” he offered as he turned and walked away and towards the elevators without waiting for a reply.

Stepping onto the elevator before anyone could stop him; he glanced at the buttons that had already been pressed. Eyeing the lit number 37, Kouga grinned sheepishly, his head down, his eyes cold…calculating.

Simonkal of Inuy

“Honey, I don't know,” Sango chirped as she balanced the desk phone between her ear and her shoulder.

Logging into Kagome's Outlook account, she accessed her date book and began categorizing the scheduled meetings by the order of importance.

“I don't know what she's up to; she just called me out of the blue and told me she wasn't coming in today and that I needed to reschedule her appointments.”

“Has she ever done anything like this before,” Miroku questioned from the other end of the phone.

“No. Well, definitely not since I've been working for her,” Sango offered. “Not to mention, I tried calling her a few times this weekend and she didn't answer the phone. Do you think she's okay?”

“I don't know… If she's never done anything like this before, maybe you should swing by her house at lunch and see if she's feeling alright.”

Sango laughed, knowing that he simply wanted to have something to tell Hojo regarding why Kagome stood him up. “Maybe you're right. Maybe she's sick. I can't see how or why she'd stand Hojo up like that. When I spoke with her on Friday about it, she seemed a little stressed, but she's always stressed when it comes to her blind dates.”

Sango heard Miroku shift, which meant that he was more than likely snuggling with her pillow, before he replied, “Maybe her and Takahashi-sama hooked up over the weekend.”

“Please, Kagome hasn't got it in her to do something like that,” Sango declared. “Before she'd give up the cookies to him, she'd make that man jump up and down on one leg and bark like a dog, and we all know that Takahashi-sama has just a little too much pride for that shit.”

Miroku chuckled. “No, I think those two might be closer than you think, Babe. Maybe that little plan of yours worked.”

Frowning as she clicked the reply button to Kagome's meeting that was scheduled for ten, Sango questioned, “What plan?”

“Do you really have that many underhanded plans, My Sweet?” Miroku teased. “You know that whole little act you put on about making sure that Takahashi-sama knew that Kagome had a date with a doctor? Maybe it worked. After all, she did stand the man up, didn't she?”

Sitting back in her chair, Sango's expression looked as if she'd just experienced an epiphany. “You really think… No, they wouldn't… She would've told me, wouldn't she?” Not waiting for a reply, she stated quickly, “Let me call you back. I'm going to call Takahashi-sama's office and see if he's in.”

Miroku chuckled huskily and retorted, “Gods you're nosey, but I love you anyway.”

“You better.”

“Alright, Babe, call me back and let me know what you find out.”

“Okay, bye,” Sango chirped, reaching across the desk to push the release button that would disconnect the phone.

That little tramp! I bet she… She better not have done something with him and not told me, she thought as she balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder again while flipping through her rolodex. Dialing the first few numbers she stopped as a male voice that she found rather smooth, almost too smooth crooned above and in front of her.

“Excuse me. Maybe…maybe you can help me.”

Staring up at the man that she quickly realized was the youkai that had been gawking at her in the lobby when she stopped to adjust her shoe strap; Sango smiled politely and hung the phone up. “Yes, what can I help you with?”

“Well, I'm looking for someone.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper and stared down at it before continuing, “I'm looking for Higurashi…Kagome. A friend of mine told me that if I wanted a good attorney to help protect my personal and business affairs, she's the best one for the job.”

Sango stared at the man, slowly taking in the long black ponytail that sat perfectly at the crown of his head. She conspicuously took in the way his eyes-the color of the bluest part of the Caribbean Sea-seemed to stare into her very soul. They were beautiful, eerily so, but they were also cold, and deceitful.

Dragging her eyes away from his face, she quickly allowed her eyes to trail over his perfectly pressed, plum colored button down shirt, and the Rolex watch on his left wrist that was encrusted with so many diamonds that it appeared almost gaudy.

A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind that she couldn't trust this man...that she shouldn't trust this man. It was something about the way he stood there trying to look innocent…lost. There was something about the way he…he stared at her as if he knew something that she didn't.

Quite honestly, he made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Staring back into his eyes, Sango heard the words of a brokenhearted woman's truth whisper within her head as if she was standing behind her, “He was gorgeous in a very manly, exotic sort of way. He had the deepest blue eyes, which seemed to stare straight into your soul when he looked at you. And his voice, it was heavy and deep. It could make your soul quiver and send chills running up and down your spine all at once.”

 

Licking her lips, Sango stood slowly to her feet. Kouga? At least that's what I think Kagome said his name was. What is he doing here? Does he have something to do with why Kagome isn't here? Pretending to have a coughing fit, Sango's thought finished, No, that doesn't make sense. If he knew where she was then he wouldn't be here asking for her.

 

“Ma'am, can you…can you help me?”

 

“I'm so sorry,” Sango replied with a tepid smile. Tapping her manicured fingers against her forehead in a flighty manner, she added, “Short attention span, I swear.” Taking a quick sip of her tea that she bought in the lobby, she continued, her heart beating rapidly within her chest, “You were looking for…”

 

“Higurashi Kagome. Does she work here?”

 

Smiling innocently, Sango stated, having quickly come up with a plan of sorts, “Well, that's a hard one. She works for this company, but she doesn't work out of this office. She was actually hired on a few months ago as a contract agent, which means that at any given day she could be anywhere in the world.”

 

He narrowed his eyes skeptically. “Really?”

 

Picking up a stack of meaningless files, Sango quipped cheerily, “Really! I'm so jealous of her. Last month, I heard that she was in Australia for two weeks, and then they whisked her away to Paris for a conference of some type on International hoopla.”

 

Turning her back to him, she continued as she pretended to file while hoping that she wasn't laying it on too thick, “I swear that woman has all the luck in the world! She jet sets across the world and back for free, and now she has this…” Turning back to the demon, she finished with a seductive smirk, “This fine ass man walks in here out of the blue, saying he heard about her via word of mouth, and wants to be her client.”

 

Slipping the files back on to the desk, she leaned towards him and smiled seductively. “I don't know where she is, or when she'll be back, if she ever comes into this office, but damn do I ever wish I was her.”

 

He quirked a sideways smile as his cheeks slowly began to turn the lightest shade of red. “Uh, well, do you have a number where I could possibly reach her, or her assistant?”

 

“Sorry honey, but that's privileged information, and I don't get paid enough to know it. So no, unfortunately, I can't help you.”

 

He stood there eyeing her curiously as he stared her up and down slowly as if he was undressing her with his eyes. “Sure, thanks for your help,” he stated as he turned away reluctantly.

 

“Oh, what's your name? That way if I were to run into her assistant, I can let her know that you would like a meeting with Higurashi,” Sango offered, trying to sound sincere when in actuality she only wanted validation of who he was.

 

Stopping, he glanced at her and advised, a mysterious glint in his blue eyes, “She'll find out soon enough.” Throwing his hand up while giving her the peace sign, he finished cryptically as he started towards the elevators again, “I'll be seeing you, Sexy.”

 

Staring at him as he made his way back down the hallway, Sango maintained her smile until she saw him step onto the elevator. Sitting back down in her chair, she could only hope the he'd bought into her lie and hadn't seen straight through it. Somehow, she just knew that if he had, she really would be seeing him again and so would Kagome.

 

Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, she thought quickly. What if that wasn't him? What if that was really a new potential client? Shit, Kagome, where are you? I need to talk to you, her thought finished as she picked up her phone and dialed Kagome's number only to have it go straight to her voicemail.

 

Damn, what the hell's going on? Where is she? Staring down the hallway as if she expected the guy to come back at any moment, her thought continued, Kagome, if this guy is who I think heis, whatthe hell is he doing here?

 

Simonkal of Inuy

 

He hadn't actually meant to come up to the mountains, but as he neared the exit, Inuyasha decided that maybe his brother was right this time.

Maybe this whole `red eyed' thing was something that deserved to be discussed with the old codger, Totosai. He also figured that if he had Kagome with him then maybe he'd be able to avoid the manual labor that the prick was sure to try and thrust upon him.

Slowing the bike down as he pulled onto the dirt road that led to his Godfather's house, the hanyou removed his shades and stated to his companion, “Oi, whatever this fool say's to you, don't believe him. If he asks you to do anything, don't do it, okay?”

Raising the visor of her helmet, Kagome questioned while wrapping her arms around his waist a little tighter, “Why?”

“Because he's a fucking quack,” Inuyasha bit out as he pulled pass the wooden fence that could definitely use more than a few nails. Then into the yard that bordered a humble little house that didn't appear to be any bigger than maybe a two bedroom.

What the hell does he do with the money I send his ass every month? Inuyasha thought as he stared at the wood that made up the side of the house. It looked like it was infested with termites and other critters that were yet to be discovered and named.

The yard, he noticed quickly enough, was littered with shingles, and more than a few of the windows were boarded up with disgusting looking pieces of plywood.

I bet his forgetful ass forgets to even cash the checks. I have to tell Nya to stop sending the checks and just do direct deposits into his account. That is if I can get the old loon to give me his banking information.

Kicking down the kick stand on the bike, the hanyou shut the engine off and reached back to help Kagome off the bike before he climbed off himself.

“Oi, remember what I said. This guy is nuts, seriously,” Inuyasha advised as he reached back and pulled out the tie that held his hair back while riding.

“Inuyasha, who lives here?” Kagome questioned as she stared around the yard or was it a junk yard that was littered with various disregarded pieces of tin, steel, and wood.

“My God-” he started to say, but stopped when he heard the screen door squeak loudly moments before the man in questions shouted, “Who's there? Don't make me get my shot gun!”

Inuyasha groaned, “This was such a fucking mistake,” as he took Kagome's hand and led her around the house and towards the old man that was standing just outside the door looking in the opposite direction from which they were coming.

“Oi,” Inuyasha grunted, his face set in a deep scowl.

“Who? Huh,” Totosai stuttered as he slowly turned his head towards the two. Frowning as if he didn't know who he was looking at, he continued, “I ain't got no money to buy nothing, so go away!”

“Have you lost all of your marbles, old man?” Inuyasha quipped coming to a stop a few feet from him.

Totosai narrowed his eyes suspiciously as recognition slowly dawned on him. “Well, I must be seeing a ghost, because as far as I'm concerned you're dead.”

“What the hell are you talking about, you coot?”

“Inuyasha, don't talk to him like that,” Kagome chimed in peeping around the hanyou's shoulder and at the man that appeared to be nothing more than a feeble old man who was a step away from death.

He was bent over heavily as if leaning on a cane, and at the very crown of his head there was a solitary patch of gray hair that was being held in place by what looked to be a piece of string. He also had a solitary patch of long greasy gray hair hanging down both sides of his mouth, anchored just beneath his nose. Kagome decided quickly that at some point and time that must have been a mustache of some form.

What she found even weirder about the old man was that he had the biggest bulbous eyes she'd ever seen in her life.

That can't be healthy. Is he sick or something?

Trying not to stare, but unable to look away, the entranced young woman quickly took in the fact that even though the man was decrepitly old, his body-from what she could see through the almost button less shirt he wore-was well defined. Actually, too defined for a man his age

“Feh, don't pay him any mind, Kagome, he's just acting like he always does. He's my Godfather.”

Totosai turned his attention away from Inuyasha and towards Kagome. “You must be the wench my ill mannered godchild married and didn't even think to invite me to his wedding.”

Stepping off the stoop, he pushed Inuyasha out of the way with more force than any elderly person should have and took a hold of Kagome's face. Sniffing her, he frowned and stepped back as he turned his attention back to the hanyou, “Well, why the hell haven't you claimed her, yet? Didn't your father tell you anything about claiming a mate?”

Kagome blushed 20 different shades of red as she tried not to step back from the man, whom she was seriously starting to believe really was senile. What is he talking about? Inuyasha isn't married, and he hasn't been married to my knowledge. But more importantly, why the hell is he sniffing me?

Pulling her closer to him, Totosai ran one hand quickly down her belly to her abdomen, while his other hand found her breast and squeezed.

Kagome squeaked, and slapped his hands away as she jumped back away from him, one hand covering her stomach, the other protecting her breast. “Takahashi, what is he doing?”

Pushing Totosai back away from Kagome, Inuyasha snapped, “What the fuck are you doing, you bastard? Don't touch her like that!”

Leaning to the side, so that he could peer at Kagome who appeared to be ready to take off at any moment, the coot ignored Inuyasha question and asked, “She's barren, right? Is that why you haven't claimed her?” Snorting, he stepped back and finished, “She ain't got no milk in those breasts…just fat, and that belly…it's as flat as a board.” Grumbling as he turned and walked away, he finished, “That's what you get for not inviting me to your wedding.”

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome quickly in order to make sure that she was okay, and then turned his attention back to Totosai. “What the hell is wrong with you? Did you get even crazier?”

Staring off into oblivion as if he'd forgotten he was in the middle of a conversation, Totosai grumbled, “Serves you right for not inviting me. I hope your nuts fall off next.” Turning to Inuyasha as if he'd just remembered something, he finished, one barely there eyebrow raised higher than the other, “Speaking of nuts; did the other one ever drop?”

Running his hand down his face in an exasperated manner, Inuyasha took a few steps closer to the man and shouted, “We sent you an invitation! You just didn't fucking show up! You never fucking show up, so don't piss and moan to me about not getting a damn invitation, you prick!”

Kagome stepped back, her mind spinning in one too many directions. They sent him an invitation? What… How… What is he… What is he saying? Shaking her head, she tried to make sense of what she had just heard, but no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't.

It…this made absolutely no sense to her. Inuyasha wasn't married, he couldn't be married, he would've told her…he would've…he would've said something to her, wouldn't he?

“I didn't receive no damn invite from you or anybody in your uppity family. After your father died, I swear you boys forgot where you came from,” Totosai advised. “He would've made sure I was there. He would've came up here and got me if he had to, but you…you ungrateful dog…”

Inuyasha stared at the man. He couldn't believe he was actually acting like this and over something so fucking insignificant.

Sure, he could've totally understood his upset had he not personally hand delivered the fucking thing to his mailbox during the wee hours of the morning, but his anger… Well, that was something Inuyasha hadn't experienced before.

“Totosai, I put it in your raggedy ass mailbox. It was cream and gold with your name written across the front in ancient Kenji,” Inuyasha snapped, irritated that this prick was forcing him to explain himself.

“Cream…and…gold?” Totosai whispered thumbing his chin as if he was slowly flipping through his memory to try and find that one specific thing that would lead to the answer he sought.

“Yes, cream and gold,” Inuyasha affirmed agitatedly as he watched the man scratch his head seconds before he turned and shuffled slowly into the house.

Running his hands down his face again, the hanyou turned towards Kagome, and started to say something, but stopped when he saw the look on her face, felt the anger in her aura, and smelled the salt of the tears that had yet to fall.

Stepping up quickly to her, he queried anxiously, “Shit Kagome, are you alright? That old fool didn't hurt you did he?” Reaching out to pull her to him, he stopped as she stepped back, her fist balled up at her sides. “Kagome, what's wrong with you? What the hell? Why are you so upset?” Noticing he wasn't getting a response from her, he finished, “He…he didn't mean any harm, seriously.”

She stared at him, unable to think pass the words that had flown so swiftly from the old man's mouth. She couldn't see pass Inuyasha's affirmation that he really was married.

If he wasn't married, why would he know what color invitation were sent out? If he wasn't married, why would he be so adamant about it? Turning her head away from him as the first tear slipped down her cheek, she whispered, “Takahashi, take me home.”

“What the fuck? Why?” he questioned desperately.

“Jus…Just take me home, now,” she repeated, her anger slowly seeping into her voice as she wiped away another tear with the back of her hand.

“No. Hell, no! Not until you tell me why the fuck you're crying. Are you bipolar or something?”

“Here it is,” Totosai acknowledged cheerfully while stepping onto the porch with a cream colored envelope with gold trim in his hand. Flipping it over a few times as if he'd never seen it before, he finished with a shrug, “I guess I forgot to open it.”

Staring at it as more angry tears began to flow down her face unbidden, Kagome shouted as she pointed vehemently at the envelope, “That's why, Takahashi! That…That's why! Just…Just take me home, damn it!”

Turning to look at what she was pointing at, Inuyasha groaned, “Fuck.”

He hadn't even thought about what he was saying to Totosai, the man had him so heated. He hadn't even stopped to think about how it sounded to her, and for that… As the scent of her frustration, anger, and pain wafted over him, it cut him deeply.

Reaching for her, he tried to turn her back towards him so that he could explain, but she slapped him hard across the face seconds before she turned and began stomping her way down the dirt driveway.

“Kagome, where the hell are you going? I…I can explain, damn it, just…just wait a second,” he yelled frantically while rubbing his left cheek slowly in a circular motion.

Turning to glare at him, she shouted, “Don't…Don't you ever…don't you ever come near me again! You…you're a liar! You said you wouldn't, but you…you… You make me sick! Just don't come near me again, you son of a bitch!”

“What's got her so riled up?” Totosai questioned coming to a stop beside Inuyasha. Placing his hand on the hanyou's shoulder, he continued, “So she has emotional problems and she's barren, Godson, you sure can pick'em.”

Shrugging his hand off, Inuyasha turned and snapped, “I'm not fucking married you idiot! She's…She's my… Fuck… You just couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut could you?” He wasn't sure what to call Kagome, but he knew what he wasn't going to call her.

“Well, if you're not married then why did you send me this? And why the hell did that bastard Kuno, from up the hill, come down here gloating about how my Godson got married and I wasn't even invited?” Totosai asked as if he couldn't feel the tension in the air.

The hanyou groaned, shaking his head lethargically as he stepped away from Totosai and into the middle of the street so that he could get a better view of Kagome's back. He wanted to go after her, he really did, but her anger; it was like an oversize vicious rattle snake waiting to devour him.

In all the years that he'd been breathing, he couldn't come up with one living thing that he was even partially afraid of…until now.

Inuyasha stared after her as she continued to stumble down the dirt driveway. She was so angry, so pissed off, and hurt that he had to wonder if she would ever let him explain. And even if she did, after what she went through with that bastard ex-boyfriend of hers, would she even believe him? Would she even give him the benefit of the doubt?

Fucking Totosai!

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

Next Chapter: Rocky Road

Acknowledgements:

Inuyasha Baby_bre ~ Magedelbene ~ Hopelessromantic ~ Litle Miss Lulu ~ Angel-up-above-heaven ~ Olddogg333 ~ Tora92 ~ 1love1 ~ InuGoddess715 ~ Deipurple ~ Mynera ~ Silverwolfhalfbeast ~ Sexxiigurrll0204 ~ Sammy34 ~ Tusuke