InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Succubus Girlfriend ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience.
Citrus Warning
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Kagome rested her hands in her lap as she sat across from Inuyasha and Miroku. When Inuyasha had asked her out, she couldn't help but feel anxious despite her efforts to keep him at a distance. While they had gone out before, it was always trips of necessity. For the first time, she thought they were going to go out just like in a normal relationship. Then Miroku joined them. I'm such a fool for getting worked up over something small like this. In a way, it was good. She had been worried about Inuyasha's declaration that he would not give her up without a fight. She was not worried about Inuyasha as much as she worried about herself. The last thing I need right now is to get attached. Once everything is ready… It was already too late to worry about becoming attached to him, but she could at least try to limit it so it was less painful for both when they separated.
“I wanted to talk to you at lunch about it, but since you weren't sitting with us,” Miroku continued, drawing Kagome's attention away from her thoughts.
“Ah, I'm sorry,” she said as she smiled over at him. “They were really insistent I eat with them today.”
Miroku nodded. “I understand. It must be hard having a fan club.” Opening the tome, he carefully flipped through the pages until he found the one he wanted. Orienting it so that it was facing her, he gently pushed it towards her. “This here,” he said tapping on the page. “I thought it looked cool so I tried to translate it but I couldn't get much. I got something about a lock and maybe a seal.”
Eyes widening, Kagome stared down at the image carefully drawn on the page, the text wrapping around it. I've seen this before! It was the same symbol she had seen on her mother. Quickly, she began scanning the text around the image. Across from her, Inuyasha shifted and leaned towards her.
“Something wrong?” he asked anxiously.
“Huh? Oh sorry,” she said as her cheeks flushed. I keep forgetting Miroku doesn't know I can read this. “It does look cool…” she said as she trailed off, trying to read more of the text.
“Right?” Miroku said excitedly as if she had confirmed something only he had been saying. “And look on the next page!” he said as he turned the page. She almost let out a protest but managed to keep silent. “Now this is the thing I wanted to talk to you about. See this?” he asked pointing to a crude drawing of a woman on the uppermost page. “It's a succubus.”
Inuyasha coughed nervously before taking a sip of his tea, looking away. She almost glared at him. Way to keep your cool. Instead, she looked at Miroku. “Is that so?”
“It's weird right? The first couple of times I flipped through this book, I completely missed it. It wasn't like what I expected it to be.” Where have I heard that before? Kagome thought, covering her amused smile. Her amusement was tempered by Miroku's use of `it' in describing her people.
“No wings right?” She was a little frustrated why so many people believed they hand wings and were completely evil looking. Just where and how did that rumor start?
“That would be totally badass! The tail too…” He glanced longingly at the picture, sighing deeply. “It's kind of disappointing if this is a true succubus.”
She looked at him curiously, her head tilting slightly as her eyebrow rose. “You interested in succubi?”
“Interested? Me? Of course I am! What I wouldn't give to meet one…” Kagome had to hold back laughter. Of all the people, it should be obvious this guy would want to meet us.
“It's not really that great,” Inuyasha muttered off to the side, watching the other customers inside the café. Miroku continued talking, missing Inuyasha's comment. By the way he casually went about observing others, Inuyasha either did not realize he had spoken aloud or figured no one would hear him. His statement stung. She knew her skill and that he enjoyed their `sessions' despite his playful reluctance. It was partially that same shyness when it came to intimate matters that attracted her to him. What's not great about it? It worried her.
“So what I was wondering is, can you help me translate any of this?” Miroku asked as she turned her attention back to him.
“The book?”
“No! I just want the parts that deal with succubi. Don't get me wrong, all the other stuff out there is great and all, but…” To her surprise, he blushed. “This is my real focus.”
She giggled. “You really are a pervert.” He thought for a moment before giving her a half-hearted shrug. Inside, she was secretly cheering for her good fortune. If I can get a hold of the book, even for a day or two… Sure, she could easily charm him into giving her the book, but she didn't want to waste magic if he would give it to her willingly. Besides, she really didn't want to do that around Inuyasha. The last thing I want is him questioning how many times I've done it to him.
“See Inuyasha? This is why Kagome's so great! How many other girls do you think would talk about all this awesome stuff and be impossibly beautiful?”
“Not many,” he answered.
“What's got you all pouty?” Miroku narrowed his eyes. “Ah, you jealous I have Kagome's attention?”
His face reddened. “What? No!”
Liar, she thought in amusement. As much as she enjoyed teasing him, she focused on Miroku. “If you want, I can take a look at it. I have a bunch of books at my place that I can use for reference.” She paused for a moment. “That is, if you don't mind me borrowing it.”
“Oh no, not at all,” he said with a smile, pushing the book farther towards her. He rubbed his hands excitedly. “I knew I could count on you!”
She smiled warmly. “I can't guarantee anything, but I'll give it my best shot.” She glanced down at her watch. “I hate to just run off, but I have to start heading to work.”
“Oh! I'll walk you there,” Inuyasha said, starting to get up.
Reaching across the table, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry; I'll be fine on my own.” She looked down at his glass. “Besides, you still have most of your tea left.” Grabbing the bill, she stood. “I'll take care of this don't worry.”
“But—”
“Can you take the book back to my place?” she asked, smiling down at Inuyasha. “You have the key, right?”
“You have a key!?” Miroku exclaimed, looking at Inuyasha as if he was a complete stranger. “I thought you said she didn't put—”
“Miroku!” Inuyasha shouted, getting looks from other customers. Kagome looked between the two curiously.
“What?” she asked with a bemused smile.
“Nothing,” Inuyasha said quickly. “I got it. I'll take the book to your place.”
“Thanks… I'll cook dinner as a reward!” Leaning down, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. “We'll talk tonight,” she whispered before backing away. “Bye Miroku,” she said, giving him a small wave.
“See ya! Thanks again!” he called out after her. Moving over to the counter, she quickly paid and, giving the two another small wave, exited the café. She wanted nothing more than to skip work and look at the book, but she needed to keep up appearances for not only Miroku, but Inuyasha as well. He's already suspicious enough about me working. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the sky. Sunlight was beginning to break through the gray. I'm not really helping with that. I guess I'll tell him tonight.
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Kagome sighed deeply as she finished wiping down the last table. Running her arm across her forehead, she looked around the empty café to make sure she didn't miss anything.
“You know you were the only one closing right? Wouldn't magic have made all of that a lot easier?” Turning, she found Kouga leaning against the wall. She smiled, suddenly tired.
“Yes, but that would be a waste of energy.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Besides, you could have helped.”
Spreading his arms out as if helpless, he shook his head. “I have my own things to close. You know, you do have a willing battery right here if you ever run low,” he replied with a grin. Please don't tempt me. She was hungry and still excited from all the customers' attention. Wanting to avoid where the conversation was leading, she turned away, walking towards the back.
“Where did your father go?” she asked over her shoulder. “I noticed he left and didn't come back.”
“Ah that, he said an old friend called him.”
She frowned. “Old friend? Is this an old friend, or an old friend?”
He shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. He said his name was Myoga.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Me either. Probably one of his drinking buddies.” Stepping after her, Kouga quickly closed the distance. “He did want me to give you this,” he said, holding out an envelope.
“What's this?” she asked as she took it.
“You're pay for the day.”
“Ah, thanks,” she said, peeking inside to see several bills tucked inside.
“You sure that's enough?” he asked with a concerned face. “We would be more than happy to give you more—”
She smiled. “Thanks, but really, this is fine. He pays for almost everything, so this is just the little extra we need.”
“`He' huh?” Kouga muttered as he looked away, rubbing his shoulder.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said smiling. “Anyway, you in a hurry?” I really want to get home and look at that book.
“Kind of, why?”
“Oh no reason really. Since my dad is out and it's just the two of us…”
Her eyes narrowed. “I'm not having sex if that's what you're implying.”
He quickly shook his head, waving his hands out in front of him. “No, no, no! I know you don't want to have sex yet. I can wait. I was just wondering if you wanted to watch a movie and hang out.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “My father and I have quite the collection of DVD's and a really good TV setup.”
She continued to look at him suspiciously. What do you mean by `yet?' “I'd like to, but I really have to be getting home. Next time, okay?”
“Okay, no problem,” he said, brushing the rejection off. Stopping in front of the door for the changing room, she turned around to find him only a few steps behind her. “What?” he asked as she glared playfully at him. “Oh come on! You can at least allow me this guilty pleasure!”
Sighing, she opened the door and backed inside. Though she tried to play it out like it was a burden for her, it was hard to fight against nature and she enjoyed showing off so long as it did not go any farther. “Fine, but no moving from the door!” she warned, pointing a finger at him. Smiling from ear to ear, Kouga followed her inside.
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Inuyasha tapped his fingers on the cover of the black book, his eyes glancing over to the clock every few seconds. She should be getting home soon. He had looked through the book several times by now, but looking over indecipherable text was as appealing and helpful as reading a math text book. So instead, he spent the last several hours thinking. His thoughts were not directed in any specific direction, he merely followed his minds tangents. It was hard to imagine back to life before Kagome had shown up. His problems then seemed so insignificant compared to what he faced now. Running track had been his entire life and getting into nationals a goal he desired with everything he had. Thinking about how that goal was one he would probably never achieve was disappointing, but it was not longer a crushing loss. His priorities had shifted and Kagome was now the object of his focus.
There were some difficulties in her arrival; but things were slowly working themselves out. The more time they spent with each other, the more he was able to learn not only about everything happening to him, but with her as well. She said we could never have a `normal' relationship… His thoughts wandered back to the previous night. It was true that he had been thinking about their bond in a classic, traditional sense. The incident with her sister was undeniable evidence of that. Getting caught like that had sent a spike of feelings he had never experienced before. Guilt, shame, horror; the combination had been overwhelming to him. But her reaction was far from what he expected, or desired. He wanted, still wanted, her rage. He wanted—needed it as if to prove that she really did care about him. That he was special to her and wanted to keep him all to herself. If our positions were reversed… He had always done his best to shy away from the thought of her with other men but the places he could run were fading fast. Standing before him was a fork in the road and it was rapidly approaching. Do I let things continue as they are and enjoy the time we have before saying good-bye, or do I fight for a future I may not want?
Behind him, the door opened. “I'm home,” Kagome said quickly closing the door behind her. Tossing her shoes aside, she ran over to the table he was sitting at. “I've been waiting for this all night!” she said, carefully opening it. Ignoring the front half of the book, she turned to the page Miroku had been looking over at the café. Inuyasha watched in silence as her eyes darted from side to side, absorbing the information in front of her.
“Well, anything useful?” he questioned anxiously after a few minutes of silence. Sighing, she leaned back slightly, still looking down at the book.
“I was excited over nothing.” She gestured towards the open page as she looked over at him. “This book was written just before they started the experiments on the succubi. This page is more or less just talks about theory.” Shaking her head, she rubbed her temples. “What was I expecting?” she said snickering softly. “Miroku got this from my mother after all. If there was anything that could help us, she would have found it already.”
“Help you?”
“Oh, that's right, you don't know.” She leaned back, resting her hands against the floor behind her. “Apparently, I'm the only succubus alive that isn't cursed.”
“Cursed?”
Kagome nodded towards the book. “Apparently their theories were dead on. Both my sister and mother are marked with that damn symbol. It's a strong spell that limits our energy consumption and storage and with it, our magical powers.” She paused momentarily. “Among other things.”
“That's terrible! Is there any way to remove it?”
Sitting up, Kagome sighed. “I don't know. My mother might have an idea but—”
“But what?” Inuyasha pressed after she trailed off.
She shook her head, smiling. “It's nothing. You really shouldn't worry about it. It's not your problem.”
Reaching over, he rested his hand atop hers. “Anything that concerns you is my problem.”
Slowly, she pulled her hand out from under his. “I appreciate the gesture, but really, you shouldn't get any more involved in this than you already are.”
Sadly, he pulled his hand back. “I'm not sure I am involved. I know next to nothing about everything that's happening.”
“You are much more involved than you think you are.”
“How so?” She looked at him. He could tell what she was thinking. She's debating whether to tell me or not. Looking down, she folded her hands together and rested them on the table.
She spoke deliberately. “I don't want to tell you.”
“Kagome—”
“But I'll tell you anyway,” she continued, cutting him off. “You deserve to know.” Sitting up, he mentally braced himself. “The succubi aren't the only ones close to extinction. Just about everything non-human is on the edge. We all have our ways of surviving; most simply hide, trying to stay alive simply by leaving everyone alone. My people decided to stand up and fight.”
“Now?”
“No, this was centuries ago. Short version, we lost. My mother thought that we could at least get some terms by surrendering; at least get them to leave us alone.” She rested her hand against the stomach as she looked through him, as if seeing something else. “It wasn't quite what she expected.”
“So what does that have to do with me?”
Her focus returned to him. “That is more or less the history leading up to today. You are more or less the only hope for us.”
“Me? But how!? I'm just a human.” He was expecting it to be something big, not massive. For her to say the future of an entire people were on his shoulders… It was crushing.
“Well, not technically you, but what you are carrying.” Instinctively, his hand went to the necklace under his shirt.
“The necklace.”
“More importantly, the crystal on the necklace. That's why Kikyo was—is here; to help me protect you.”
“Protect me? From who?”
“The Order of the Silver Cross.”
“You mean the people who made the book?” He glanced over at the book that lay open on the table. “Aren't they gone?”
Kagome laughed dryly. “If only they were.”
Pulling the necklace from his shirt, he let it rest in his hand. “It burned me the other day.”
Her eyes widened. “It what?”
“The burn you healed on my hand, this was the cause of it.” She looked dumbfounded as she fought for words. His eyes narrowed. “You said it wouldn't hurt me.”
“N—no… it has to be some sort of mistake.” She shook her head as she looked down, thinking. “That doesn't make any sense.”
“Yeah, well that's what happened.” His eyes moved from the crystal to Kagome as he shifted in place. Running his tongue across his lips, he leaned forward. “What exactly do these Order people want with the crystal?”
“To destroy it.”
“Is that so…” he said, trailing off as he dangled it in front of him. He looked past it at Kagome. “Is it hard?” She was quiet for a moment.
“Not if they kill you.” Her voice was hardly a whisper.
“K-kill?” he sputtered, dropping the necklace against his chest. “T-they are going to k-kill me?”
She shook her head quickly, leaning towards him. “No! We—I—won't let that happen! Succubi from all over the world are coming here to protect you!”
He was still, looking down at the crystal resting against his chest. “What does it do?” She stayed silent. “Kagome, what does it do?” he asked again in a lower voice.
“I… can't tell you.”
“Can't—or won't?”
“If I tell you, I'm afraid you'll freak out.”
“I'm already freaking out! Telling me I'm carrying something that is the only hope for your people, but not what it does? Telling me people are going to kill me because of this damn thing!” He held up the glowing crystal. Remembering what it did last time it was glowing, he quickly let it fall to his chest.
“Please, calm down,” she said, reaching over to him.
“Calm down! How could anyone be calm like this!” he said in a high voice as he moved away from her. He looked away, taking several deep breaths. Moving over to him, Kagome wrapped her arms around him from the back. He tried shaking her off, but she persisted in holding him against her body. “Tell me why you won't tell me what it does.” His voice was gruff as he stared at the wall directly in front of him, face twisted in anger. “I deserve to know at least that much before I die.”
“You're not going to die.”
“You don't know that!”
“I told you we are going to protect you.”
“Yeah? Seems to me like you can't even protect yourselves from them, what makes you think you can protect me?” Silence answered better than any words could. “That's what I thought.”
After a long silence, she spoke. “I'm afraid.”
“Afraid?” he asked, confusion replacing his anger. I'm the one that's afraid! He tried to look up at her, but she hugged him tighter, keeping herself out of view. “I think I'm frightened enough for the both of us.” He felt her face press against his back, his shirt sticking to his skin as it absorbed her tears. Is she crying? The last of his anger left him as he tried to shift so he could see her only to give up trying to break her iron grip around his body.
“I'm not afraid of them,” she said, voice quivering. “I'm afraid for you.”
“Me?” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It did not come easy. He wanted to cry himself. Why do I have to cheer her up? It was almost ironic enough to make him laugh. “I know you'll do your best to protect me. I trust you.” He tried his best to laugh, only to fail miserably. “You know what? Who cares what the necklace does? You need it so that's all I need to know. Whatever it does, you said it won't hurt me so it doesn't really matter.”
“That's the problem,” she choked out, gasping for breath as she fought back tears. “I will.”
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Another cliffhanger chapter! Bwah-ha-ha! It's not as bad as the last one though. I did reread this chapter and fixed a couple things I caught. Not saying I got everything since it's really hard proofreading your own work, but I think I got a lot of them.
I hope I'm not rewriting sections over and over again in different ways. When I'm writing, I start getting the odd feeling that I've written it before in an earlier chapter. It could be because I have written it before in another chapter, or it's simply because I've been thinking about this story too much. If so, sorry. Things are going to be picking up here pretty soon.
That said, I hope everyone is enjoying the story. Please, please review if you do enjoy it! It helps keep my motivation up which means faster updates! Thank you to everyone who has!