InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kurayami no Naka de Hikari ❯ Secrets... ( Chapter 17 )

Kurayami no Naka de Hikari

Notes: 6,743 words / 11.5 pages – So the last few chapters were mostly filler, sorry for that -.- I was a little stuck on where to take this story for a bit but I finally have a bit of a direction to go into now. This story has gotten quite long, but the last two chapters haven't really gotten many reviews so I was also kind of discouraged. Do you only review when you see that I have review responses at the end or something? Just curious because a TON of people have favorited this and/or have this on story alert but the reviews don't reflect this. I'm really contemplating setting a minimum requirement for review numbers before I'll update again... something like 10 reviews or something like that? I think I only got five last time around ;_;

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 17 – Secrets...

It had been four weeks since Kagome had started watching Shippo during the day while his mother was overseeing the set up of the new gourmet restaurant in her chain. Each of the restaurants had a unique type of food and Izayoi made sure to have a theme that matched the cuisine. She didn't trust anyone except for Rin in this endeavor, so therefore, Rin was the interior designer on all of her restaurants so they worked closely together on a regular basis.

Rin had never known her parents, having been found in the entrance of a hospital in a basket still covered in the am-biotic fluid from her birth. She was just another daughter to Izayoi, she didn't care if it was just by marriage and not blood, she treated her the same as if she was her blood relation.

Kagome had quickly gotten into a nice routine with Shippo and greatly enjoyed her time with the young kitsune. She would get picked up via limo every morning, which she was still trying to get used to. When they'd get home, she would personally prepare some snacks for the two of them as she helped Shippo complete his homework. He seemed to enjoy her more simplistic snacks over the gourmet ones the on-staff cooks would whip up. He especially enjoyed when she made regular macaroni and cheese from the box with some real cheese melted in as well as her special French Toast that she had made weeks ago after they'd rescued Sango from her kidnappers.

The court case was still pending as both sides prepared and was scheduled to take place in another six weeks. Everyone had a hint of nervousness that they kept hidden for the most part. Miroku remained optimistic, but he seemed to be suffering from withdrawal from watching girls shake it at the club and drove Sango crazy with his wandering hands.

Being under house arrest, he wasn't allowed to go to many places. He was limited to his apartment, Mushin's shrine where he worked, and the Takahashi manor where he would meet with Sesshoumaru most readily to prepare for the trail looming before them. Sango had practically moved in with him since they'd become engaged and they were holding off on setting a date until after the trail.

Inuyasha had started his new job and though he wasn't really a fan of helping to run a business, he was nonetheless good at it. He had been making a name for himself in the few weeks he'd been there and was getting phone calls left and right from other companies wanting him for either consulting jobs or were offering him full-time positions. Kagome couldn't hold back her envy at how easily things came to him, but she was surprisingly adjusting well to living with Inuyasha.

She still felt like she was mooching off of him a bit, so she would spend some of her free time while Shippo was at school keeping his condo clean, making sure the dishes were done, and taking care of laundry. He would huff and frown every time he'd see her loading the dishwasher and tell her to leave it for the cleaning lady that came once a week, but Kagome just rolled her eyes and told him to go back to his video game.

That seemed to be his favorite way to wind down from work, well... whenever Kagome wasn't busy working on something, anyway. She inwardly yelled at herself every time she found herself in Inuyasha's bed, but he could light a fire in her with just a few kisses and she'd find herself giving into his ravages. Just thinking about his lips on hers was enough to send a chill of desire up her spine, which his extra sensitive nose would pick up on immediately.

Kagome had been keeping herself extra busy besides looking after Shippo and taking care of the house. She'd recently found a nice website that offered freelance graphic and development jobs that she jumped at. She had chosen many jobs and entered her work, most of the jobs she chose at this point had to do with branding new companies or re-branding companies that felt their logo and such was outdated.

Her work had already been chosen on two of the projects she had done with a very nice payout. For the past week, she had been preparing variations of the chosen logos along with business card designs and stationary to match.

She was quite pleased with her creations and was hoping to put them in her portfolio so she could find a really good internship in the fall. She had already finished one internship before her portfolio show a few years back that she had really enjoyed. They had been very impressed with her design skills and offered to take her on as an outside freelancer, which she had accepted graciously. The pay was good and she had kept in contact with them. The only thing was, it was a small company and during the recession they had come to her less and less and she also had to wait until they were completely done with the development phase before they could cut her a check. That's one of the main reasons she had gone back for a business degree, she didn't want to be limited to working for someone. This way, she knew how to work for herself.

Kagome had been sleeping in Inuyasha's bed a lot during the weeks she had lived with him because the nightmares kept getting progressively worse. She had redecorated the spare room once the new bed had arrived just to give a semblance of independence. It was also easier to get the creative juices flowing if she had her own space.

She had decorated it with light, airy colors to make the room feel welcoming and not oppressing. There were yellows, off-whites, and accents of orange that had a calming affect on Kagome. She and Sango had gone shopping together complete with a bodyguard that trailed behind them in the mall, looking every direction at once.

That had seemed so flattering and thoughtful to her at first. Hr was concerned for her safety and sent someone with her whenever he couldn't be around, convinced that Naraku would come after her, but now it was just bothersome and annoying. She hated having someone trail along behind her. The only time they weren't around was if she was with Inuyasha or at Takahashi manor. Because face it, who would be stupid enough to come after her there?

Kagome had just gotten back to Inuyasha's condo from watching Shippo and was currently in front of the stove cooking dinner. Inuyasha had sent a text message about ten minutes ago saying that he would be home in fifteen minutes so she decided to have food ready for him when he came in the door. She would cook whenever Inuyasha didn't order take-out or chow down on instant ramen. She was shocked at how much of it that Inuyasha seemed to eat. Ramen was a poor college student's best friend not a rich budding business man's! Izayoi had laughed in delight when Kagome commented on his ramen intake and shook her head, saying that it had been his favorite since he was a kid. Seriously, he could eat it for every meal and be happy!

She hummed to herself as she turned a pan with some creamy sauce on low to simmer as she grabbed a bag of noodles out of the cupboard. She pulled the drawer under the oven out and grabbed a large, silver pot. After filling it with water and sprinkling some salt into the warm water, she put it on the burner and turned it up to high. She had chosen an American recipe she had found online a few years back on a website by Betsy Croaker? Becky Potter? Kagome didn't recall the name, but this beef stroganof recipe was damn good!

It took a few minutes for the water to boil before Kagome dumped the bag of egg noodles into the rapidly churning water. She heard the door creak open and pulled a plain white apron off before tossing it on the counter beside her.

"Welcome home!" She called as she made her way into the living room with a welcoming smile on her face. Inuyasha stood by the door, tie hanging loosely around his neck with half the buttons on his shirt undone revealing a few inches of his finely chiseled muscles. Kagome licked her lips as she eyed him from top to bottom while walking slowly toward him.

"Whatcha cooking?" Inuyasha asked as he sniffed the air. There was a strange tangy scent in the air that he wasn't familiar with. It smelled different and made his mouth start to water like Pavlov's dogs. [AN: lol, I couldn't help but put that in there!]

"Beef stroganof." Kagome declared happily as she wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head against his chest. His arms instinctively encircled her waist as he pulled her flush against him and rained soft kisses on the slender column of her throat.

"You can stog ME off anytime, Kagome." Inuyasha replied suggestively as he reached down and squeezed her plump ass with both hands. Kagome gasped audibly as her face heated at the very obvious innuendo accompanied by the firm squeeze and buried her face in his broad chest to hide her embarrassment. He was, after all, a man and she had walked right into that one.

Inuyasha chuckled lightly, rubbing circles in her back as the scent of embarrassment pricked his nose. He gently pulled her away from his chest and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead, then spun her around and gave her a light slap on the ass, urging her toward the kitchen. Kagome forgot her embarrassment and growled impressively low in her throat.

"You know what?" Kagome asked with a playful glare on her face. The two were walking into the kitchen together to dip into the wonderful aromas coming from the room. "Since you enjoy embarrassing me so much, the dishes are yours tonight."

"Keh! Can't help it if you walked right into that one." Inuyasha h
shot back as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Just let the maid handle dishes, will ya?"

"Humph!" Kagome said as she mimicked him and crossed her arms over her breasts. Inuyasha's line of sight fell right down the shirt by the action, admiring the plump cleavage now on display. "And make her clean up our mess once the food gets all

stuck on? I wasn't raised like that." She said defiantly as she turned her annoyed look away from him.

This prompted his smirk to grow bigger. Over the passed few weeks, he had developed a new hobby. Annoy Kagome until she wanted to pull out her hair. At night when he'd sneak into her bed, she would take her frustration out on him and ride him wildly. It was enough to make his eyes roll into the back of his head with pleasure. Just thinking about it was getting him hard.

Kagome checked the noodles, chewing on one to see if it was soft enough. It burned her tongue, making her wince slightly and open her mouth to let the warmth escape. Inuyasha smirked and leaned down before he delved his tongue into her mouth, running it across her burn and stealing the noodle at the same time. He chewed thoughtfully, seeing her perplexed look at the loss of pain from the burn.

"Still chewy, needs a few more minutes." He said as he took the spoon from her hand and set it on the counter. He leaned back against the counter-top and grabbed Kagome's hips before he pulled her against him.

"What did you do?" She questioned, confusion shining in her eyes. Inuyasha's smirk grew as he leaned down and sucked on her throat gently, loving the involuntary shiver he felt run through her body.

"You haven't been around many youkai, have you?" He asked as he kissed up her exposed throat and nibbled gently on her earlobe, careful not to hurt her with his fangs. His smirk grew at the gasp that escaped her parted lips as she pressed her body against his.

"N-no..." She said gasping again as a familiar burning began in her lower region. Inuyasha groaned lightly, drinking in the scent of arousal that assaulted his sense of smell violently. He ground his hips against her, his suit pants suddenly feeling very constricting.

"Some youkai have healing attributes in their saliva." He whispered in her ear, enjoying the moan that escaped from her throat. "Inu youkai are particularly known for it."

Kagome couldn't respond because of the burning sensation his lips were causing to spread through her body. For some reason, no matter what she did, she was unable to resist him when he touched her. Butterflies would flap wildly in her stomach and she would feel suddenly weak at the knees. She had been telling herself since the first time she'd given in that they were moving way too fast, but it just felt so good.

Kagome could feel something warm spreading out over her body from Inuyasha as he abandoned her neck and instead captured her lips in a searing kiss. She felt herself kissing him back as his tongue dipped into her mouth again and fighting for dominance. She fought back valiantly, but was surprised when she felt a clawed digit pressed against her oddly bare center. He sunk further into the kiss as she gasped in surprise and gently slid his finger inside of her simultaneously.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat as his tongue tangled with the beautiful human woman pressed up against him. He couldn't get enough of her taste, her scent, and the feel of her. She was already slick with moisture as he pumped his finger in and out of her slowly. He felt her pressing her hips forward, her chest rumbling as he swallowed her moan. He paused momentarily when loud sizzling noise broke through over the sound of her gasping for air when he broke the kiss.

"Oh no!" Kagome cried breathlessly as she pulled out of Inuyasha's grip and ran to the stove. She quickly turned to heat down on the noodles to halt further boiling water overflow as she stirred them vigorously to break up any clumps. The sauce was bubbling slightly so she stirred that as well, letting out a sigh of relief that it wasn't burnt and ruined.

"Let's eat, I'm starving." Inuyasha said as he grabbed plates out of the cupboard and handed one to Kagome. She stared at him incredulously as he acted like he hadn't just had his tongue down her throat and finger inside of her. She was still very much aroused and aching between her legs. The bulge in Inuyasha's pants and the uncomfortable shifting as he filled his plate gave away his own arousal, but he pretended it didn't bother him. She smirked and filled her own plate, she saw his game. He was gonna try to outlast her in the sex department. She'd show him that she wasn't a push over. He'd be begging her by the time the night was done.

- l - l - l -

Kagome was true to her word, Inuyasha had resorted to begging that night to get the sweet release he craved. She had been teasing him and playing with him all night, but not letting him get over that peak that would send him into an oblivion of pleasure.

Firstly, during dinner, she kept giving him a sly smirk as she'd rub her stockinged foot over his equipment outside of his pants. When she wasn't touching him, she was allowing her tank top strap to slip to give him a better view of her creamy white skin and plump cleavage. Her intoxicating smell shrouded him in its delicious aroma making his mouth water even as he ate the surprisingly good meal she had prepared.

She had kept her hair pushed to one side, exposing her throat as she tilted her head in a way that was a classic submissive poise and it was driving him crazy. He wanted to attack her throat and leave an impression as he took advantage of her submissiveness. He held onto his inner youkai with a claw, telling himself that she didn't know that poise was something bitches did in heat and during mating. She was, after all, a human so such things were foreign to her.

After dinner, they had decided to watch a movie together to wind down before getting ready for bed. She had chosen a really scary one not realizing just HOW scary it would be and spent most of the movie buried in his chest to block out the gory visuals on the screen. With her pressed up against him tightly, her scent curling enticingly around him, he had trouble concentrating on the movie.

When she'd gone for her shower, he hadn't been able to help himself. Just thinking of seeing her naked form dripping wet had made him rock hard in an instant. He had stealthily slid into the room using the steam to hide him, shedding clothes in the process and jumped into the shower behind her. She hadn't even expressed surprise at his sudden appearance and merely handed him a loofah and asked him to wash her back. She had been getting good at sensing auras after spending more time with Miroku and Sango. She was even starting to be able to sense human presences, though it was much more difficult if they didn't have negative intentions so it was pretty hit or miss right now.

As he washed her back for her, his throbbing erection pressed up against her rear enticingly and he couldn't help but slip his hands down her hips and slide a finger inside of her soft folds. She had giggled and slapped his hand away before turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck and jumping up to wrap her legs around his waist. The feel of her breasts pressed against his chest and her tongue tangling with his turned him on immensely and he groaned into her mouth as he pressed her up against the shower door.

When he'd been about to plunge in, she'd dropped down, much to his annoyance and broken the kiss. At his low growl, she'd danced out of his grasp and ducked out of the shower into the room, still dripping wet and beautifully naked. He of course, chased after her and tackled her into her bed, attacking her exposed skin with his lips and tongue. Her twinkling laughter was enough to drive him wild and his inner youkai was roaring inside of him, loving the sexy playful antics of the young woman.

The teasingly hard-to-get atmosphere was enough to bring his demon side close to the surface. As frustrating as the teasing was, when she finally let him feel her, he was begging for it! He completely ignored the satisfied look on her face as he slammed into her again and again. She was so wet and warm that he was on the edge in no time at all. His first release was toe curling and he couldn't help but let his own satisfied smirk cross his lips as she screamed his name in ecstasy and arched her back as her own release was triggered.

They both fell asleep shortly afterward, content smiles on their faces. It was Friday night so they could sleep in the next morning, which Inuyasha had every intention of doing. The bare angel in his arms felt so good pulled against his chest with his scent clinging to her skin. He buried his face into her still damp hair and fell into a deep sleep filled with flashes of her smile and silvery laugh.

- l - l - l -

Kagome woke up and stretched, frowning as she glanced over at the empty blankets beside her. She had 'punished' Inuyasha the night before for embarrassing her by making him go completely out of his mind. She climbed out of bed and headed toward the bathroom with a small smile on her lips. She had slept well the night before and found herself humming softly as she turned the water on in the shower to let it warm up.

She had had a very embarrassing conversation with Izayoi several days before that made her blush thinking about. Izayoi had been talking about Takahashi men and how she kept her husband satisfied through the years.

She had explained how territorial inu youkai were with their woman, bitch as the female was referred to, and that they would tend to dominate in the bedroom by instinct. She had told Kagome that playing hard to get would drive them mad and make the sex that much better. Kagome blushed deeper as the smile grew, Izayoi had certainly not been exaggerating! Inuyasha had been full of passion the previous night as they made love and she couldn't help but envision his pleading face before she finally gave in and let him have what he wanted.

She couldn't help but feel aroused at the mental picture of him

on top of her. He had seemed to look different in the dim light. If she hadn't known better, she would have said he looked almost feral. She had noticed strange, jagged purple lines on his cheeks and his eyes seemed darker when she was able to open her eyes enough to look into his eyes.

The sex had been hard and fast, almost animalistic, unlike any they had ever had before and the pleasure had been so great, she had screamed for more until her throat became raw and sore. She also could have sworn his claws and fangs were longer, but she shook that thought from her head as she stepped into the shower. She had been drunk with passion and lust so her eyes had been playing tricks on her.

Kagome showered quickly and jumper out dripping water onto the floor. There was a drain in the middle of the bathroom so she wasn't worried about wiping it up. She grabbed a fluffy, white bathrobe off the door and pulled it on before wrapping her ebony locks in a towel on top of her head.

She stepped up to the sink and opened the medicine cabinet to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste. She closed the cabinet and put toothpaste on her brush before setting the tube down on the sink. When she looked into the mirror, raising the toothbrush to her mouth, her chocolate brown orbs met a pair of blood red eyes framed by long, wavy strands of onyx hair. She froze in fear as she stared into the mirror, her throat suddenly dry as she seemed unable to utter a sound.

After a moment and an evil smirk in the mirror, Kagome saw a sudden movement out of her peripheral vision that broke the fear-induced stupor and a blood curdling scream ripped from her throat only to be muffled instantly as something encased her whole body, squeezing all the air from her lungs.

- l - l - l -

Inuyasha was standing in front of a stove making some instant ramen when he heard a shrill noise to his left. He groaned in annoyance as he saw his phone flashing and nearly vibrating off the counter. An obnoxious song sounded and Miroku's name appeared on the digital screen. He had been trying to get a hold of the monk for several days and had been unable to get through. Sango had been busy with her residency so was also incommunicado. He picked up the phone and slid his finger across the touch screen to answer the call.

"Yo Miroku, where the hell have you been?" He growled in annoyance as he turned the heat down on the stove to medium before dumping the noodles in.

"Sorry pal, I've been busy giving statements and helping you brother gather evidence for the case." Miroku said seriously on the line. It had been a stressful few weeks, but they still had a few more weeks until the preliminary hearing. Sesshoumaru was hoping to have enough solid evidence to have the whole case thrown out to avoid a messy trial.

"Keh! He ain't my brother!" Inuyasha barked as he glared at the pan on the stove.

"I think genetics will tell a different story, Inuyasha." Miroku's amused voice came over the phone. He couldn't help but remind his friend that Sesshoumaru shared half of the same blood since he knew it annoyed the hell out of the hanyou. Inuyasha growled in annoyance, but chose to ignore the comment.

"Look, you know what tonight is." Inuyasha said seriously as he broke the softening noodles apart with his spoon. "I need a place to crash for the night."

"What about Kagome?" Miroku asked as he caught on to his friend's serious mood. He knew very well what tonight was and wasn't sure if he was ready to let the raven haired human into his little 'secret' just yet. He hadn't even let Kikyo in on his secret when she'd been alive.

"I'll tell her I had to work late and take her to my mom's." Inuyasha explained, his ear flicking in the direction of her bedroom. They had spent the night in her bed the previous night, rather than his. She had played with him the night before and even though it drove him mad with desire, he had to admit her taking charge was fucking HOT!

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Miroku questioned after a short pause. In the few weeks since they had known Kagome, the full story about her ex had come out between the four of them. He couldn't help but feel concerned for her safety with such a psychopath on the street. Especially since it seemed almost inevitable that he would come after her eventually.

"Keh! As if he can get at her at pops manor!" Inuyasha said confidently, flicking a few strands of hair behind his shoulder.

"I suppose you have a point. Wouldn't it be better to just tell her, though?" Miroku asking knowing that he couldn't just come out and tell him to do it and have him end the whole conversation.

"It's for the best, I can't protect her like that." Inuyasha explained, turning the stove off and removing the pan from the hot surface. It wasn't what Kagome normally cooked, but it was the breakfast of kings to him. "Later man."

"Later." Miroku said and they both hung up.

Inuyasha dished the instant ramen into two bowls before sprinkling some salt on both. He put a few more spices his mom introduced him to and stirred them both with a pair of chopsticks. He poured a few glasses of orange juice and put all of it on a tray. Before he could pick it up, the scent of terror reached his nose seconds before a blood curdling scream rent the air.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as he immediately recognized the screamer.

He dashed into the run, jumping over furniture as he crossed the living room. He shoved the door in viciously hard, embedding the impression of the doorknob in the wall behind it. He rush to a struggling bundle or blankets on the bed and began ripping them away, her fear scent burning in his nose.

"Damnit! Where are you?" He snarled as he tossed blankets and sheets to the side. He finally reached the last sheet and pulled it off to see a very naked Kagome holding her hands up to her throat as if she couldn't breathe, her face trapped in a silent scream. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently trying to wake her. Her eyes remained firmly shut and he was aware that she wasn't breathing. He needed to wake her up NOW!

He scooped her off the bed bridal style and rushed into the bathroom toward the shower. He quickly twisted the cold handle and dove into the shower so the majority of the water was hitting Kagome's still struggling form.

"Wake up already!" He growled as fear gripped his chest in a vice. Her eyes flew open and she gulped in air greedily, her eyes swiveling in every direction at once. The fear scent was strong, rolling off her in waves as he bent down and set her on the floor of the shower. He gripped her face between his hands and turned her toward him, sensing the panic that was running through her as she tried to take in her surroundings. Finally her eyes settled on his and a dry sob ripped from her throat.

"Inuyasha..." She whispered as she buried her face in his chest while tears streamed down her cheeks. She gathered her into his arms, noting he severe shivers which could have been from either fear or the ice cold water that beat down on them.

"Calm down, it was only a dream." His soothing voice blanketed Kagome as she felt his clawed fingers run through her hair. He lifted her gently and shut the shower water off. He grabbed a towel and hastily wrapped it around her shaking body as he sat down on the bed with her, not caring that he was getting it soaked with his dripping boxers and wife beater.

"He's going to come for me..." She whispered fearfully as she gripped a handful of his shirt tightly in her small fist. "... I'm scared..."

"I won't let him." Inuyasha said forcefully as he pulled the terrified woman tighter to his chest.

- l - l - l -

Kagome sat on a nice fluffy couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap. Shippo lay curled up on the seat next to her, already fast asleep and snoring lightly. Sango's adorable youkai cat, Kirara was curled up with the small kit, acting almost as a blanket. Apparently, Kirara wasn't so much a pet, but was a friend instead. She hadn't been at Sango's too often since she had started her residency, but would be there in the evenings to greet her mistress. The rest of the time, she was mostly with Izayoi and Shippo. The best part of it all was that the little cat seemed to handle the travel arrangements herself. Though how that was possible, Kagome could only guess.

That's not what had her distracted, though. She was having a hard time getting that dream out of her head. One second, she was being strangled by Naraku and the next she was gulping in much needed air sitting in a shower on full blast, ice cold water. There had been a look of sheer panic on his face and this time she hadn't imagined the strange purple markings on his cheeks. His eyes had been blood red with a blue slit for his iris as well. She wasn't quite sure what it meant despite having dated a hanyou before. The only non-human trait he had shown was extra strength and he seemed to not need to sleep as much or eat as often as well as his peculiar haze almost red eye color. She had always assumed he had gotten more of the human genes than youkai ones, which was strange in itself. Most youkai genes were dominant over any similar human gene so he would have had to have received the recessive gene from both parents.

She was contemplating on asking Izayoi what the strange appearance meant, but didn't want to reveal the strange nightmares that felt so real. Kagome had figured out that they only happened when Inuyasha wasn't sleeping with her. She had concluded it couldn't be her psyching herself out because sometimes when she woke up, like this morning, and Inuyasha wasn't in the bed. She had no way of knowing that he was no longer in the bed to bring on the dreams herself. She didn't know how, but she feared that Naraku had something to do with it. All of the

nightmares involved him either attacking her or having his way with her when she was helpless to stop him. When the latter happened, Kagome felt used and dirty and would refuse to allow Inuyasha to kiss or even touch her.

She didn't mean to push him away and the hurt look on his face would make her feel guilty. His hurt expression was very subtle so most people wouldn't see it, but something in his aura would shift and she could sense it. Then she would chastise herself for letting a stupid dream cause her so much distress. She kept the nightmares from Inuyasha for the most part, but he seemed to sense her uneasiness and would become more alert. He would scan their surroundings continually when they were out and his ears would twitch in every direction.

Kagome sighed and sunk further into the couch, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth. Shippo seemed fond of the concoction. She ha never been a fan of microwave popcorn so she would pop her own kernels and douse it with melted butter and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. Her mother had made it that way since they were kids and she simply loved it.

Since Inuyasha had to go into the office late that night, she found herself at his parents' mansion once again. Of course, the little kit had been thriller that she would be spending the night and insisted on watching movies with her all night. He hadn't even made it through the first one before he passed out.

Izayoi had been called down to the new restaurant on an emergency and her husband was currently working late on a major merger they were negotiating, so after she was satisfied Shippo was truly asleep, she gently lifted him up and headed for his room.

All of the rooms designated to family were relatively close together so she had no problems finding his room. There were so many toys in his room you could hardly see the dresser tucked into the corner and the bookshelves that rested against the walls. She lay Shippo in his bed and pulled the blankets over his sleeping form and lightly kissed him on his forehead with a smile gracing her lips.

Kagome brushed the hair off his forehead and kissed him lightly before tuning and heading for the door. She flipped the light off and silently closed the door before heading back toward the large family room with a massive plasma screen mounted to the wall to finish the movie. It had been mildly interesting so she took it back a few chapters to go back and see what she had missed before she allowed herself to sink back into the soft cushions.

After close to a half an hour, Kagome looked up at the soft clearing of a throat in the doorway. She smiled as she saw Izayoi walk into the room followed by her husband's assistant, Kagura. Kagome vaguely remembered her from the Sunday dinner Inuyasha had taken her to when she'd been released from the hospital.

"Thank you for the ride, Kagura." Izayoi said with a smile at the tall, red eyed youkai. "When my driver showed up drunk, I didn't know how I would be able to get home. You are a life saver, my dear." After they exchanged a few more pleasantries, Izayoi walked into the room and sat beside Kagome on the couch while Kagura left, presumably to go back to the office to assist Inu no Taisho with the big merger.

"Oh dear, I thought I would never get out of there." Izayoi gushed as she leaned back into the cushions and grabbed a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl. "I assume Shippo is in bed?" She asked as she popped a piece in her mouth.

Kagome was slightly surprised. She had never seen Izayoi this relaxed before. She still had an extremely regal dignity about her that didn't seem to lessen in the least no matter what she did. Again, Kagome couldn't help but feel insecure in herself and her relationship with Inuyasha. Men would tend to find someone similar to the mother to spend their lives with so she knew she could never fill Izayoi's shoes no matter what she did.

"Yes, I took him up to bed when he fell asleep during the movie." Kagome explained with a hint of an embarrassed blush on the bridge of her nose.

"Interesting concoction..." Izayoi mused, more to herself than to Kagome as sh chewed the popcorn slowly as she seemed to savor it. "So simple and yet... so tasty!" Kagome's eyes widened in slight surprise as Izayoi dipped back into the bowl for more popcorn. "Did you think this up yourself?" Izayoi asked as she gestured toward the bowl.

"Actually, my mom has always made popcorn like this." Kagome explained as she smiled back. "I'm not really a fan of microwave, probably because I was spoiled on this."

Kagome and Izayoi both giggled happily as they sat and munched on popcorn and only half-watched the movie that was playing. Kagome was aware of Kirara jumping into her lap during their conversation and happily scratched said demon cat behind the ears and smiled at the resounding purr that brought. She was truly happy since she'd met Inuyasha. His family was absolutely wonderful, sure he'd put on that arrogant front with her or he'd tease her mercilessly, but she would give it right back. She finally felt like she had been accepted into a family and it felt GOOD!

Out of seemingly nowhere, Kagome found herself yawning. A wave of fatigue that she was unaccustomed to. It was still relatively early, barely passed ten o'clock and she was used to going to bed around midnight and later when she and Inuyasha would engage in some 'quality' time together. When she glanced over at Izayoi, she saw a distinctly tired look in her eyes and she discreetly yawned into a small handkerchief.

"Oh dear, I do fear I must be headed to bed." Izayoi said delicately as she rose to her feet and headed for the doorway that lead to the hallway. Kagome wished her goodnight and turned back to the now nearly finished movie. A strange thud caught her attention and she slowly turned and saw Izayoi laying on the floor not moving.

"Izayoi?" Kagome called as she climbed unsteadily to her feet. That's when she knew something was wrong... When she was sitting on the couch surrounded in warmth and softness, she hadn't noticed that her whole body had gone numb. She took a few hesitant steps forward, trying the reach the apparently unconscious woman on the floor.

"Hmm? All this fuss over one human woman?" An unfamiliar male voice sounded from behind her. She turned unsteadily and searched for the source of the voice. Standing behind her were three men, two tall with masks covering their noses and mouths, and one short holding some sort of incense burner that had a thin trail of smoke rising from it lazily. "She's cute in the face, looks a bit childish. Look at those curves though." The tall man with ebony locks pulled into a dark braid down his back said with a whistle as his eyes scanned her from head to foot. She noted his aura was human as she felt herself succumbing to the strange smoke from the burner. Darkness surrounded her so tightly she didn't even feel the impact she she hit the ground.

::FIN::

November 8, 2011

Notes: I don't know if any of you have ever had popcorn with parmesan cheese on it or not, but that's how I eat it and it's REALLY good! Yes I know! BIG cliffhanger this time around! If you want me to update, please review! If I can write this WHOLE story on my Droid, you can take the time to write me a review! That whole, I'm on my cellphone thing doesn't really cut it with me~.^ (though I definitely know how difficult it can be to type on them -.-)