InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kurayami no Naka de Hikari ❯ A Woman Scorned ( Chapter 13 )

Kurayami no Naka de Hikari

Notes: 12 pages/6,686 words – So, here's another chapter for ya! I hope you enjoyed the fluffy-lemonness between Miroku and Sango last time! I think they deserved a sweet (and hot) scene! It seems like there are lots of scenes like this in this story… that's why it's rated M! There's a bit more lemonness/explicitness in this one as well so be prepared. Also, I apologize in advance for the nasty cliff-hanger at the end of this one! Oh yeah, something crazy happened today while I was at work! We felt the earthquake that happened in Virginia ALL THE WAY IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH!

Also: Please note that I have updated my Biography/Profile and I put the percentage of completion for the next chapter of active (or potentially active) stories. Please refer to it to see how far along I am (Thank you WitchyGirl99).

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters thereof. Even though that is the case, please don't steal my plot, concept, or story out of respect for my creative endeavor as I would not do this to anyone out there.

- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc.
'Thoughts/dreams' will be in single quotes (IE: ' ')

Chapter 13 – A Woman Scorned

Sunlight shone on Kagome's face, pulling a groan of annoyance from her throat. She didn't feel like getting up to finish her final exams. She snuggled into a warm body and buried her face into long, silky strands, breathing in deeply and enjoying the scent. She lay like this for a long while, enjoying the feeling of fingers combing gently through her hair and the sensation of soft, warm breath on her throat.

Kagome groaned as her source of warmth shifted and she felt soft lips nibbling on her ear lobe. She shivered and turned her head to give better access to her ear. Despite the sunlight blinding her tired eyes, Kagome found herself enjoying the morning. She was used to waking up early, but that didn't mean she LIKED having to wake up. Of all the ways to wake in the morning, this was by far the best in her opinion. No blaring alarm clocks or shivering from having a blanket yanked from her. Since when had Naraku been so affectionate in the morning? Most of the time, he wasn't even THERE when Kagome woke up.

Kagome let her eyes open slowly and cried out in surprise as instead of hazel with flecks of red, she saw a pair of sleepy golden eyes framed by silver locks of hair. She shoved away forcefully and her eyes swiveled around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. She vaguely heard a thud and a muttered curse as she looked around the starkly-clad room. Everything was decorated simply, plain off-white curtains, a short dresser with a mirror attached. She was in a full-size bed clutching a blue comforter to her chest as she tried to figure out where she was. That's when the previous day came crashing back to her. She jumped slightly when Inuyasha's annoyed face peeked up over the edge of the bed from the floor.

"Do you always wake up like that, onna?" He grumbled without caring if he was being rude. He slowly rose to his feet and sat on the bed across from her as he rubbed the spot where his head had connected with the floor.

Kagome felt her face heat as she looked at Inuyasha, looking extremely grumpy. He was wearing only a pair of boxers and had his silver hair tied back in a loose ponytail with a few wisps loosened from the band in his sleep. His bare chest was just as chiseled as she remembered from the day at the pool. Kagome bit her lip to hold back a slight blush as she vaguely noted how cute he looked rubbing the sleep from his eyes with that grumpy look on his face.

"Where are we? Is Sango-chan all right?" Kagome asked as a completely different sense of worry and panic hit her.

"Sango's fine, she's in Miroku's room. This is his apartment." Inuyasha explained before he yawned loudly. "I'm gonna go see if the perv has any coffee." With that, Inuyasha stood up and headed for the door. He snagged a T-shirt from the floor and pulled it on over his head in the process.

"H-hey wait!" Kagome cried as she jumped out of bed and ran after the silver-haired man. She did, unfortunately, get tangled in the blankets as she tried to bolt after him and felt it snag her foot as she tried to move. Her body was falling and she reached out in front of her, searching for something to grab to prevent her imminent fall. She caught a flash of silver and felt arms close around her waist and haul her up easily. Inuyasha stood in front of her, hands placed lazily on her hips and a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

"You are such a klutz." Inuyasha said dryly as his smirk grew, revealing one pointy fang peeking over his bottom lip. Kagome couldn't help an embarrassed blush that stained her cheeks and gently pushed him away in indignation.

"I'm not a klutz." She grumbled as she headed for the still-open door. Inuyasha continued to follow Kagome out of the door, the smell of pure embarrassment overpowering the indignation completely.

Kagome walked purposely down the hallway, though she wasn't sure where the kitchen was. Inuyasha followed, an amused smirk still painted across his features. Kagome walked down the hallway past a bathroom on one side and a closed door on the other. The apartment had a pretty basic layout so opened up into a rather large living room with a kitchen and small dining area to the right with the exit straight in front. Off of the living room on the left was a sliding glass door with a very large balcony that had a few folding chairs, a mountain bike, and a few plants that looked like they needed to be watered. Kagome ducked into the kitchen and began opening cupboards, looking for the coffee and mugs.

"Here, just go relax. I'll handle this." Inuyasha said as he opened the upper cupboard to Kagome's right and took out a few mugs.

"Thank you." Kagome said and took a step back out of his way. He knew where everything was and in a few minutes, the scent of coffee filled the air as well as a crackling sound as bacon sizzled and popped in a frying pan on the stove. "Surprised Miroku actually has food in his fridge. He usually comes and mooches off of me." Kagome couldn't hold back the giggle as she went to fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.

While Inuyasha focused on cooking bacon and some eggs, Kagome found a loaf of bread and whipped up some eggs with milk and a touch of cinnamon and proceeded to make some French Toast. Neither of them said much until there was enough coffee brewed for both of them and they each had a mug set to the side. Kagome didn't normally drink coffee because of the shear bitterness of it, but she was liable to fall face-first into the frying pan if she didn't get some caffeine into her system soon.

Kagome hummed softly to herself as she put some bread in the toaster. After a moment, Inuyasha found himself humming along with her to a song his mother used to sing him when he was young. He paused and looked up at the smiling woman with a perplexed look on his face. He didn't know anyone else knew that song, he'd always thought it was something his mother had made up. He couldn't help the flush that crept into his face as his eyes fell on Kagome. She was laying a few more slices of bread on the griddle, but there was a radiant smile that filled all of her features. She almost seemed to glow with contentment that he had never seen on her face. She looked years younger with that beautiful smile and it seemed to suit her features much better than the sad smile he had grown accustomed to.

"What's that song?" Inuyasha asked as he turned his gaze away to hide the flush. He couldn't help but admire the sound of her voice, even if she was only humming. He really wanted to hear her actually sing because of the tantalizing sound of her voice, soft and clear.

"Hmm?" Kagome said, turning the tune into a question. "The song? It's something my father would sing to me and my brother when we were sad. He wrote it for us, to convey to us how much he loved us."

"Your father?" Inuyasha questioned softly. He hadn't heard her talk about her family very often and he was genuinely curious since he'd always thought it was something his mother had made up.

"Yeah, he died of cancer when I was in Middle School." Kagome started and Inuyasha noticed a sadness creep into her eyes. "He was well-known for composing and was an amazing piano player. Like I said, he wrote that for his family. It's one of the few songs he actually wrote lyrics for."

Inuyasha listened attentively as she spoke about her late father. He couldn't help but think that she was too young to not have her father around. He had always taken it for granted that he still had both parents together and still disgustingly in love! He had always hated seeing his dad pinch his mom's ass as she walked by. Now here was a woman his age that would never get to have a father-daughter dance at her wedding. Her kids would never know their grandfather. No wonder she had such a sad smile much of the time.

"Wow, it smells so good out here!" A male voice broke into the silence that had only been broken by sizzling for several moments while both people were buried in their own thoughts. Inuyasha flashed an annoyed look at Miroku accompanied by a scowl as he pulled the pan off the burner and began scooping out bacon into a bowl padded with paper towels to soak up the grease.

Miroku strolled leisurely through the kitchen, snagging a piece of toast off the pile and plopping down at the table at the end of the kitchen area. His hair was wet and he looked to be in a very good mood. The grin on his face stretched from ear to ear and didn't diminish in the least under Inuyasha's scowl.

"Just because Sango gave you some, doesn't mean you can get out of helping with breakfast, monk." Inuyasha grumbled as he shoved a stack of plates with silverware on top into Miroku's hands. Kagome blushed at the knowing expression on Inuyasha's face and the pleased look on Miroku's. Of course Inuyasha knew what happened, he could probably hear it! But the perverted monk was actually PLEASED that Inuyasha knew!

"Wow, it smells wonderful out here!" Sango's voice broke through the tension and all eyes turned to look at the brown-haired woman walking down the hallway. Miroku immediately jumped up and gently grasped her arm before he led her to the table and drew a chair out for her to sit. Her face was very bruised but there was a hint of green on the edges, which indicated it had already started to heal.

"How are you feeling, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked as she walked up to the tall woman with a plate heaping with French Toast. She set the plate in the middle of the table with a container of syrup and sat in a chair next to Sango. Her features were twisted into a look of concern as she studied the bruises on Sango's face.

"As good as you could expect. I'm a bit sore, but there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage." Sango explained with a small smile.

"If there's anything I can get you or do for you, let me know, all right?" Kagome asked as she squeezed Sango's hand gently and reassuringly.

"Thanks Kagome-chan." Sango said with a smile as she returned the squeeze. Sango wasn't used to having female friends so it was a nice change to be able to let her guard down a bit. She had always been a tom boy growing up, more apt to be climbing trees and catching crayfish than to be playing with makeup and dolls. It was really refreshing to be able to talk about girl stuff she could never share with Inuyasha or Miroku.

Inuyasha came over a minute later with plates heaped with bacon, eggs, and toast. To make things simple, he had only made scrambled eggs with some cheese and a little bit of pepperoni cut up into it. He wasn't very good at making sunny side eggs or over anything eggs because he had a tendency to break the yolks when he flipped them. There was a stack of buttered toast sliced diagonally with a jar of strawberry jelly sitting beside it too.

"Wow, you two can stay at my place any time you want if you cook like this in the morning!" Sango said with a laugh as she began to fill the plate Miroku set in front of her. Seeing her dig in seemed to be a signal that breakfast was started because all four of them filled their plates and laughed as they made jokes as the tension from the previous few days completely vanished.

- l - l - l -

The day went by pleasantly as the four relaxed in the living room watching movies and playing video games. Sango wasn't ready to go out just yet because of her nervousness and because of her bruises. She didn't want someone to call the police because they suspected Miroku had caused them.

After hours of just hanging out and enjoying the company, a police officer appeared on Miroku's door to take statements on Sango's rescue. They didn't give many details beyond the location of the place she'd been held captive and the names of the two that had kidnapped her. They had been a pair of brothers named Hiten and Manten and Sango gave a detailed description to the officers. They had also said that Sango had managed to escape on her own rather than state they had gone in and assaulted a bunch of criminals to rescue her. After around an hour of questions and a promise that Sango would come down to the station to give her descriptions to the sketch artist the following day, the police decided they had enough information and bid them good night.

By the time the police had left, the sun had gone down and Inuyasha decided it was time to get Kagome home so Sango and Miroku could have some privacy. Sango and Kagome talked for another half hour about how pushy and whiny men could be, laughing together on the balcony with a wine cooler each.

Kagome was pleasantly buzzed and on her third cooler. She didn't drink often so it didn't take much to get her buzzed or drunk. It was a nice, content feeling that ran through her. It had been too long since she'd just enjoyed a day hanging out with friends. Naraku had chased off most of her friends or potential friends until she had stopped trying to even make new ones.

"So how does the job hunt go?" Miroku asked his golden-eyed companion as he flipped the channel to the local news. The weather man met his eyes as he told them that there was a chance of shower and the next day was supposed to be partly cloudy.

"Keh! I haven't exactly had a chance to look yet." Inuyasha grumbled as he leaned back into the couch cushions. He was still pissed about getting cut off, but he wasn't worried about finding a job at all. He was just dreading the boring outlook his life was taking. Everyone seemed to have big expectations for him, except for maybe Sesshoumaru. But he just didn't care for business, it was so dry and boring. So what if you could make a lot of money at it! It wasn't his passion! Though... Inuyasha hadn't really figured out what he was passionate about.

"Well, you're going to have some major bills to pay soon so beggars can't be choosers." Miroku said with a grin as he thrust his staff through the chest of Inuyasha's overly-large and muscled fighter.

"Damn you, Miroku." Inuyasha grumbled as he dropped his controller and instead walked out onto the balcony with Kagome and Sango.

The girls started giggling when Inuyasha dropped into a chair next to Kagome and crossed his arms over his chest. Inuyasha's ear twitched in annoyance at the sound but he otherwise ignored the girls. Miroku, being the only one inside, walked out with a few bottles of beer a few minutes later. He tossed one at the back of Inuyasha's head, knowing the hanyou would hear it at the last second and reach up to catch it without looking. He wasn't disappointed as Inuyasha snagged it from the air and twisted the top off in one fluid motion. Kagome's eyes widened slightly at the movement as she watched Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. A soft smile settled on her lips as he took a large gulp from the bottle.

"Once you're done with your beer, we should probably take off." Kagome said with a smile as she turned to face Inuyasha fully. "I think Sango and Miroku are going to want some privacy." Kagome said suggestively as she winked at Miroku. A sly grin crossed his lips and Sango's face turned even redder than the alcohol had already made it.

"I'm sure I can come up with an enjoyable evening." Miroku said with a light in his eyes as he looked Sango up and down. "We'll just need some ice... whipped cream... and... a couple of goldfish..."

"Damnit! I don't want to hear about the nasty things your planning, monk!" Inuyasha growled as he slapped his hands over his ears. Kagome and Sango couldn't help but laugh at Inuyasha's reaction.

"Fucking goldfish? Are you serious?" Inuyasha demanded as the last part of the comment seemed to dawn on him. This only caused his three companions to laugh harder.

They sat in the surprisingly warm air of the early spring evening for a little while longer, Miroku trying to gross out Inuyasha even more and Sango blushing brilliantly and downing her wine cooler quickly to hide her embarrassment. By the time Inuyasha and Kagome made it to the front door, Sango was swaying on her feet and leaning against Miroku for support. Miroku, on the other hand, had pulled out some liquor and started doing shots to catch up with Sango. He urged Inuyasha to do one with him, but he insisted that he needed to drive home and pushed the shot glass away. Miroku handed it to Kagome and she hesitantly took it. She didn't do shots often, by when Miroku held another one aloft and said 'to Sango', she said what the hell and downed the double-shot glass in one go.

Kagome immediately began to cough as she felt the burn in her throat. She felt heat as it went down her throat and slowly began to spread outward in concentric circles. Kagome knew she was passing the 'buzzed' state, but she didn't mind. She knew Inuyasha wasn't going to try to get her into a threesome like Naraku... though Miroku might try. She gave Miroku a flat look at that thought, though the happy monk effectively didn't notice the look.

"Look, monk. Call tomorrow when you're sober, would ya?" Inuyasha grumbled as he took Kagome's hand and the pair headed for the door. Kagome couldn't help but smile as she and Inuyasha walked out of the apartment and headed for the elevator, which was actually working for once.

"So what happened back there?" Kagome asked as they both turned around and Inuyasha pushed the button for the first floor. "The last thing I remember is that thug holding a knife to my throat and your face changing." Inuyasha tensed for a moment and hesitated before he spoke.

"I was coming to save you and this weird... pulse shot out from you." He said slowly as his eyebrows scrunched up in thought. "When the light died down, both of the youkai were unconscious on the floor and you passed out." Kagome stood for a moment and a thought hit her.

"So... why weren't you affected by that... pulse...?" Kagome asked slowly as she thought back to the strange sense of power she had felt the previous night.

"I was... I think the only reason I didn't pass out is because I'm a hanyou." Inuyasha explained carefully as the elevator doors opened. Kagome had been with a hanyou before so he had no doubt she knew that they become fully human at a certain time, but he really wasn't ready to reveal his human night just yet. He hadn't even told Kikyo when his night was and he had been planning to marry her. The only people who knew his secret outside of the family were Sango and Miroku.

"Well, I'm glad you were all right." Kagome said as she gave him a genuine smile as the pair stepped out of the elevator and crossed the lobby.

- l - l - l -

Kagome sighed in content as she fell down on the big, cozy bed in Inuyasha's room. He had insisted she take his room until the new, and comfy, mattress arrived for the guest room. The one in there currently was thin and lumpy. Since it was just a day bed, it was also extremely short so everyone's feet always hung off the end. If Miroku would rather sleep on the rock-hard couch than some semblance of a bed, it had to be bad.

Inuyasha's room was classy with dark colors with large blinds over the wall of windows. Technically, two walls of windows since his room happened to be on a corner of the building. The room definitely had a woman's touch since there were tasteful paintings framed on the walls and a few decorations on the dresser that no man would have picked up on their own.

Lying on the bed beside Kagome was a remote control that opened the blinds and controlled the televisions and sound systems throughout the condo. Kagome was impressed that this was the way Inuyasha lived and was slightly jealous. While she had been working her fingers to the bone to live day to day, Inuyasha lived in the lap of luxury and didn't even have a damn job! She knew he already had a handful of interviews for the following day, it just didn't seem right. Most people would never have the opportunity to interview for the jobs he was going to check out. The lowest salary any of them had offered was STILL six figures!

Kagome sat up and unwrapped her hair, letting the damn locks fall around her shoulders. She pulled her brush out of the bag and drew it through the tangled strands, combing her fingers through to get any of the large snarls left behind. She turned toward the door when she heard a quiet knock and immediately regretted it as a wave of alcohol-induced dizziness hit her and she slid from the bed and hit the floor with a resounding thud.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice shouted through the door before it flew open and bounced off the wall behind it. He saw Kagome crumpled on the floor and panic flooded his system. What if this was a side-effect to whatever she had done the previous night. He dropped to her side and picked up the young woman and brushed wet hair from her face. What he didn't expect to hear was a silvery laugh as she grabbed his shirt and clung to him.

"I'm such a klutz! Your comforter is too smooth, I slid off!" Kagome said as she giggled uncontrollably. She saw a look of relief enter his features as he stood up with her in his arms bridal-style and set her gently on the bed.

"I knew I shouldn't have let Rin talk me into a silk comforter." Inuyasha said sheepishly as he sat on the bed beside Kagome.

The raven-haired human looked extremely sexy wearing nothing but his white robe. Her hair fell around her shoulders in damp ringlets, seeming even darker than usual, if that was possible. Inuyasha swallowed thickly as he noted how small the robe looked on her. The way she was sitting revealed her long, smooth pale legs, unblemished except for a few fading scratches undoubtedly caused by her ex-boyfriend. His eyes moved upward to her ample hips and tiny waist and, not able to tear his eyes away, continued to travel upward. The top of the robe was partially open, revealing a view of generous cleavage that Inuyasha had to strain to turn away from. He was feeling decidedly flushed and his jeans suddenly felt really tight as his eyes traveled to her plump, pink lips. He found himself leaning toward the intoxicated woman, wanting to feel those plump lips on his, wanting to taste the sugary interior, wanting to feel her soft curves pressed up against his heated flesh.

"Kagome..." He whispered softly as he placed one hand on her hip and the other rested comfortably on her thigh. He saw her eyes widen slightly as he closed the distance between them and ran his lips softly across hers. She responded by reaching her hand up and cupping his cheek gently, running her fingers through his hair gently.

Kagome felt her heart start to race as she felt Inuyasha's soft lips capture hers in a soft kiss. Her head told her she should resist since she barely knew him, but it just felt so good. She knew she should be afraid of Naraku showing up somewhere or should have at least felt sad about the end of their relationship. The only thing that she could think about was Inuyasha's had slowly moving up her thigh and his tongue rubbing slowly across her bottom lip and butterflies flapping uncontrollably in her stomach.

Kagome responded by opening her mouth and allowing Inuyasha to deepen the kiss and delve into her mouth. Kagome timidly responded and ran her tongue over his, enjoying the feel of his rough tongue. It was just so refreshing being with someone that was gentle and kind to her. Kagome had learned that the loud-mouthed, arrogance he showed was just a front. He had built this shell around himself to hide his true self, though Kagome wasn't sure why he would feel the need to do that.

Kagome pressed herself up against his chest, feeling intoxicated by more than just the alcohol still in her system. She felt a need to be closer to the man that had rescued her. He was nothing like what she was used to and she felt herself drowning in warmth that seemed to emanate from the handsome hanyou. His hands felt so good as they slid up over her hips and across her stomach. He was so gentle and sensual that she found herself giving in to his soft touches and passionate kisses.

"Inu... yasha..." Kagome whispered against his lips as she pulled back for air. She closed her eyes and laid her forehead against his and ran her hands along his chest.

Inuyasha's hands went to the belt of the robe and a shiver ran through her body from cool air hitting her bare skin, followed by hands sliding along the bare skin of her stomach. Kagome gasped and tossed her head back as a shiver spread outward from his touch. He took advantage of her exposed throat and ran his lips over her pulse point before latching on and sucking gently at the tender flesh.

Kagome tangled her hands in Inuyasha's soft, silver locks as his hands found her breasts, nipples erect from a combination of cool air and desire. She felt a familiar burning sensation between her legs as she allowed Inuyasha to fondle her breasts. She moaned as his fingers found her nipples and gently rolled the sensitive buds between two fingers.

Kagome knew they were moving too fast but between the passion, desire, and alcohol, Kagome couldn't make herself stop what was happening. She pushed herself closer to Inuyasha, grabbing the back of his shirt and drawing it off over his head and tossed it to the side. Damn did he look good without his shirt! His chest was rock-hard with muscles that Kagome greedily ran her fingers over. She felt goose bumps appear on his skirt as she traced her fingers along his broad chest and six-pack.

Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's shoulders and pulled him as she fell backward. His arms encircled her waist and he gently lay her back, his weight pressing down on her gently. Kagome spread her legs and Inuyasha pressed his hips against her as his lips claimed hers in a deep kiss. She immediately parted her lips and let him delve inside, swallowing up all of her resolve as she picked her hips up and ground against him.

She felt something stiff pressing against her and she reached down to undo Inuyasha's belt. She felt him gasp into her mouth as she undid the button and zipper and reached into his pants, pulling out his hardened length through the hole in his boxers. He eagerly pressed himself into her hand, feeling her grip tighten slightly as he slid in her silky hands. Kagome felt a smile touch her lips as Inuyasha whimpered with desire and pulled his mouth from hers. A low growl sounded in his throat as his lips found her throat and he sucked harder on the tender flesh.

Kagome squirmed underneath him, moaning and picking her hips up. She held onto his manhood, pumping slowly before running her thumb along the tip. Inuyasha groaned as she increased the pace, squeezing a little more firmly.

"Ka-gome..." Inuyasha growled as he slid his hands down her stomach and ran a finger down her slick folds. The scent of her arousal spiked at the gentle touch and Inuyasha smirked in satisfaction at the small gasp that ripped from her throat. He slid one finger inside, careful of his claws and growled in pleasure at the feel of her hand tightening reflexively on his stiff rod while she arched her back and moaned his name.

The moan and scent of her arousal almost made him lose control of his inner demon that he was holding onto by a fingernail, in his case, a claw. Her breathless moans and pants of pleasure was getting him too excited, he didn't think he was going to be able to hold on much longer. She was still stroking him as he put another finger inside of her, rubbing at a hard nub that made her scream and her muscles clamped down on his hand, tightening and squeezing. It was too much for Inuyasha... the sight of Kagome riding out her orgasm, the sound of her moaning his name is ecstasy popped the cork and Inuyasha joined her as warm semen spewed over her hand and stomach.

Several moments later, Inuyasha collapsed on top of Kagome before quickly grabbing her around the waist and rolling. Both were panting as they tried to catch their breath. Kagome reveled in the feel of his skin pressed against her naked body, not caring about the moist, stickiness spread across her belly. They lay there in silence, Inuyasha trailing a clawed hand up and down Kagome's back and smiling softly at the shudders and chills that ran through her body.

"I think I might need another shower." Kagome mumbled sleepily as Inuyasha's lips brushed lightly across her forehead.

"Sleep now, Kagome." Inuyasha said as he grabbed the edge of the comforter and dragged it across her nude and his partially-nude bodies. He grabbed the remote off the bed side table and pushed a button that turned the lights out.

Kagome sighed contentedly as she snuggled deeper into Inuyasha's arms. Just for this one night, she would indulge herself and sleep skin to skin with the handsome hanyou, but tomorrow, she planned to slow things down to a crawl. She had just been nearly murdered by a man that claimed to love her, she didn't plan to fall into that trap again. 'Damn my low tolerance for alcohol...' Kagome thought to herself, ignoring the fact that by this time, she was just partially buzzed. She would use it as a scapegoat, though.

- l - l - l -

Inuyasha woke up bright and early... well... not really bright since the sun wasn't all the way up yet, but still early. Kagome lay in his arms, sound asleep and completely nude. He blushed in embarrassment anyway when he realized a certain part of his anatomy was reacting in a rather embarrassing manner. Morning wood wasn't always a bad thing, but he and Kagome had only messed around the night before so he was suddenly unsure if it was the alcohol dimming her senses or if it was the 'rebound' effect. Either way, he gently slid his arm from under her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before climbing out of the bed.

He headed straight for the bathroom to grab a quick shower. He hated to wash Kagome's scent off of him because he was really enjoying it, but he needed to go into his interviews clean and pressed. After a quick shower, he brushed his teeth and shaved. He ran a brush through his long, silver hair and pulled it back in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. After one more quick once-over, Inuyasha walked into the bedroom wearing only a towel to get a suit to wear to his interview.

He opened the closet door and walked inside, heading to the very back. The closet was filled with lots of clothes and shoes, though Inuyasha had actually picked out very few of them. His mother and sister-in-law, Rin, picked out much of the selection within. Sango had picked up a few things for him as well whenever he'd give her his credit card.

He knew Sango didn't often have extra money to get any of the luxuries most people enjoyed because of the enormous loans that went along with medical school so he would often send her off with his card to get him socks or T-shirts or some other mundane thing. His sole purpose for doing that was so Sango could get some of those things she wanted but not just put it in her hand because with her pride and stubbornness, she was likely to throw it right back in his face. Inuyasha's mother knew that he would do that on a regular basis and heartily approved. She would send Sango anonymous 'scholarships' from time to time just to help her with the burden of school.

Inuyasha had a feeling she knew about the scholarships and the excuses to hand out his credit card, but she allowed it to continue. She also appreciated their understanding and looking out for her from the shadows. She wanted to do everything on her own so accepting charity openly was something her pride wouldn't allow.

Inuyasha pushed aside some plastic garment bags filled with clothes at random, not really caring which suit he wore. His mother had picked most of them out right after graduation when she forced him to get measured. He had not appreciated having another man's hands on him as he was measured. Like his father and Sesshoumaru, all of the suits were custom so it didn't really matter which one he wore.

He opened the garment bag of one toward the middle of the closet and began to get dressed. He slung the jacket over his shoulder with his tie and walked out of the closet. He was surprised to see the bed empty as he walked back into the bedroom, but smiled to himself when he smelled coffee beans. He didn't even think she had put the water in yet.

He walked into the large kitchen, buttoning his shirt as he walked. He came up behind Kagome and placed one hand on her stomach and pressed himself against her back before he leaned down and kissed her neck softly. She was wearing his robe again and he grinned in satisfaction as he caught his scent heavily on her skin and hair.

"Good morning, Kagome." Inuyasha said as he sucked gently on her pulse point. He ran his hands over her hips and stomach, smiling against her throat as she stifled a quiet moan and shuddered in anticipation.

"Morning..." She murmured as she took a cup off the coffee mug tree next to the coffee maker. Inuyasha went to the fridge and took out the milk and stood next to her as they waited for the coffee to brew.

"Can you do me a favor, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked seriously as he fixed golden eyes on chocolate brown.

"What's that?" Kagome asked with a soft smile as she filled a mug and handed it to Inuyasha.

"Can you stick around here until I get back? I don't want your ex tracking you down and coming after you." Inuyasha explained seriously. Kagome's smile disappeared and fear tinged her scent as her head hung.

"Of course I will." Kagome whispered as that same sad smile crossed her lips.

"Thank you, Kagome." Inuyasha said as he pulled her into a tight hug. Kagome lay against his chest, breathing in his scent and thanking him for rescuing her. "I'm going to give Miroku a call when I leave to see if they'll come out here to stay with you."

"Thank you for caring, Inuyasha." Kagome said as she smiled tenderly up at him. He blushed at the comment and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"You're welcome?" Inuyasha answered questioningly. He wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"You'd better get going, you don't want to be late." Kagome said warmly as she brushed her lips over his in a chaste kiss.

- l - l - l -

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Miroku grumbled as he snatched up his cellphone from the night stand and answered, cutting off 'Who Let the Dogs Out' in the process. Miroku noted he needed to change his ringtone for Inuyasha, that song was extremely offensive early in the morning! "Yeah Sango's here. We're still sleeping, call back later." Miroku said with a yawn as he hung up the phone.

Miroku groaned as the same obnoxious ringtone filled the air. Miroku tossed it under his pillow to muffle the sound until the music stopped. It started back up moments later and Miroku groaned in annoyance. The one time Inuyasha got up early, Miroku was spent with a hangover, as he lay naked next to the nude Venus in his bed.

"Just answer the phone, Miroku." Sango said sleepily as she pulled the blanket over her head. "He's not going to stop calling and you know it." Miroku groaned and reached under the pillow for his cell. He pulled it out and answered the in-coming call.

"Come on, man!" Miroku grumbled as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. "We were up all night making love, lemme get some sleep!"

"What?" Miroku asked through a yawn. "Yeah I guess we can head over there in a few. You got any food."

"No, I don't know the number for Pepperoncini's." Miroku said in annoyance. (AN: That's actually the name of a pizza/bar that I used to live near)

"Fine, you're buying, make sure you leave a credit card." Miroku said grumpily as he dropped back down onto the pillows. He groaned in frustration as he heard a loud knock on the front door. "That better not be you at my door." He grumbled and climbed to his feet.

Miroku grabbed a pair of boxers off the bedroom door and headed for the door to his apartment. He reached the door and unlocked it to reveal two uniformed police officers standing on his porch.

"Hang on, Inuyasha." Miroku said and pulled the phone away from his ear. "Can I help you officers?" He asked politely.

"Yukito Miroku?" The tall youkai officer asked as he looked at a notepad in his hand.

"Yes sir, what can I do for you?" Miroku asked with a confused look on his face. Sango wasn't supposed to go see the sketch artist until the afternoon and why were they asking for him and not her?

"You're under arrest for the rape of Hiroushi Koharu." The officer said as he drew out a pair of handcuffs.

::FIN::

August 23, 2011

Notes: Well, that's all there is for now! Like I mentioned at the top, check my Biography/Profile if you want to see the percentage of completion of the next chapter! Don't kill me for the cliffie!