InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Strings and Kevlar ❯ Awakening ( Chapter 12 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
A/N: I don't own Inuyasha.
*****************************
Miroku looked up from his bowl of jambalaya and
into the distrustful eyes of Sango's father seated directly across
the square table from him. Intimidation running high, he took a
chance on a smile and another attempt
at conversation. “So, Mr.
Higurashi… how
is work?”
“Fine, boy,” the older man replied
curtly.
Miroku looked to his
right and tossed Sango a pleading look.
She met his eyes for a brief moment and smiled beautifully as she
reached for the water glass next to her bowl. “Oh,
Otou-san,
you're always so hard on Miroku. He's a nice guy!”
“Hmph,” Mr. Higurashi grunted,
never taking his burning eyes off of
him.
Swallowing nervously, he looked down into his bowl, still feeling the hard stare of
the man sitting across from him. He shifted uncomfortably in his
seat and fought the urge to pick at his food. Why in the hell did
he always agree to these stupid dinners every other week? Was Sango
really worth all of this trouble?
Suddenly, a slender hand snaked up his thigh
under the table, and he gulped again before quickly glancing to his
right to catch the mischievous smirk on his beloved's face as her
fingers traced his length through the course fabric of his
trousers.
He smiled to himself. `Totally worth it.'
Noticing her father was still watching him,
Miroku coughed loudly into his fist as Sango's nimble fingers
played with his zipper. He traced a single finger inside his shirt
collar as his skin grew warm and flushed. What on earth was that
woman trying to do to him?
“Sango,” his voice cracked as it
came out a little louder than he had intended. Clearing his throat,
he tried again. “Uh, Sango, can you please hand me a
napkin?”
Eyes twinkling knowingly, her smirk widened as
she withdrew her hand from his lap and reached across the table for
the napkin holder, neatly pulling one out. “Why, Miroku? Did
you make a mess already?” she purred as she handed it to
him.
`Fuck, woman!' he thought, panicking slightly. `Are you trying to get me killed?!'
Purposefully avoiding Mr. Higurashi's stare, he
gave a lighthearted chuckle.
“No, just wanted to be prepared.
Just in case,” he added meaningfully, shooting a dirty look
her way.
Sango only smiled and resumed eating. “So
how has Inuyasha been?”
“Oh, is he the new drummer?” Mrs.
Higurashi asked cheerfully, her bright voice breaking the tension
in the room. “Sango says he's quite good.”
Miroku relaxed. Sango's mother was always so
much more comforting than her beast of a father. “Yes, he's
very good. He's been a little down lately…” he paused,
catching Sango's worried gaze. “But I think he'll be
okay.”
“What's wrong with him? Trouble at
home?” Mrs. Higurashi asked, picking up her water
glass.
“No, he lives alone,” Sango
replied, blowing on a spoonful of the jambalaya. “Girl
trouble, Okaa-san.”
“Ah.”
The older woman smiled. “A rite of passage, to be sure. Girls
can be fiendish sometimes, can't they dear?” She smiled at
her daughter knowingly, inducing a blush on the younger woman's
cheeks.
“Boys can be worse,” her father
added gruffly, still eyeing
Miroku.
“So, yeah, uh,” Miroku said
nervously. “He's slowly coming along, so I think he'll be all
right. He's actually here in New Orleans
tonight, at a charity event his
brother is holding. For a scholarship, I
think he said.”
Sango froze, her food-laden spoon poised in
midair. Before Miroku could say anything, her mother asked,
“Sango? Are you all right, dear?”
Her light brown eyes turned slowly to look into
Miroku's, her brow furrowed slightly. “Kagome is at a charity
ball tonight, too. In New Orleans.” She hesitated.
“…With Koga.”
“Kagome?” Miroku asked,
girlfriend's father-induced discomfort temporarily forgotten.
“What is she doing there?
You don't think it's the same ball, do
you?”
“Well, how many charity balls are taking
place in New Orleans tonight?” she asked sarcastically.
“All she said was that Koga invited her to it earlier this
week, and that it had something to do with a youkai scholarship.
Other than that, she didn't know what it was
about.”
“She seemed nervous about it the other
day at lunch,” Mr. Higurashi observed. “I figured it
was jitters about attending such an extravagant event. Kagome isn't
exactly the most `formal' of girls,” he said fondly of his
niece.
Miroku actually chuckled. “That's true.
She usually considers `dressing up' wearing a new pair of jeans and
a t-shirt that isn't screened.” He would have continued
laughing, but a sharp look from the elder male across the table
quickly wiped the smile off Miroku's face, reminding him of his
place as a guest in the Higurashi home.
“So is Kagome this girl that Inuyasha is
having `girl trouble' with?” Mrs. Higurashi covered her mouth
with her hand. “Oh, dear.
I thought she was dating that ookami
youkai?”
“She is,” Sango muttered, her
opinion of that particular matter showing clearly in her tone of
voice. She turned toward Miroku again. “So they're both at
this charity ball, and she's with Koga. How do you think that's
going?” She raised an eyebrow.
He shook his head and helped himself to another
scoop of steaming food. “Honestly, with the way Inuyasha has
been lately, we can only hope he and Kagome aren't raking each
other's eyes out as we speak.”
***
Inuyasha moved his mouth softly against
Kagome's warm, pliable lips as they stood on the balcony
overlooking the Mississippi River, bathed in moonlight that seemed
to be there just for them. A soft sigh escaped from each of them as
they indulged in each other's taste, as if they had both been
waiting for this opportunity for far too long and felt an
overwhelming sense of relief now that it had finally
arrived.
Her breath was sugary and soft, smelling
faintly of almond. Inuyasha remembered seeing her sip on an
Amaretto over ice earlier that evening, and he smiled against her
lips, relishing the taste of the liqueur as it blended with
Kagome's own sweet flavor. `She
tastes better than I thought she would,' he thought absently. He released her hand and slid his
fingers to the back of Kagome's neck, tilting her head slightly so
he could deepen the kiss. She moaned lightly as his tongue
tentatively stroked her lower lip, the soft sound of her approval
having strange effects on his temperament. Delicate lips parted to
receive him, and he fought the urge to cry out in relief as she
welcomed his tongue into the hot cavern of her mouth, allowing him
to sample her more freely. And sample he did.
Gently, he explored the inside of her mouth,
tracing over teeth and lips before playing with her own satiny
tongue, and this time he was the one to moan, riveted by the sinful
allure of the young woman in his arms. How did he go so long
without kissing her? He couldn't be sure, but there was one thing
he knew for certain: this would not be the last time he indulged in
her. Nothing would keep him from her now.
And with that mental declaration, as Inuyasha
once again lost himself in Kagome's kiss, he became acutely aware
of a sudden stirring somewhere deep inside himself, the sensation
almost giving him reason to pause in his assault on her lips.
Feeling the sudden urgent need to touch more of her, the hand on
her unclothed back began to move. As the pads of
his fingers glided lightly across
her bare skin, tracing the gentle curve of her
spine down to the wickedly low cut of the gown and back up again,
he could feel goosebumps rising to contrast the warmth of her skin
beneath his fingers, and he found himself pleased with her reaction
to his touch. An involuntary growl, low and feral, sounded from his
throat, giving voice to what seemed to be awakening within his soul
and showing its satisfaction as well.
If Kagome was frightened by the sound, she
didn't show it. If anything, it seemed to encourage her, evident
from the way her fingers tightened and dug into the hard muscle of
his shoulders. It was when she did this that Inuyasha
started to lose his tenuous hold on his
self-control. The stirring within him
that he felt earlier had now ceased but was far from
gone.
It was awake.
Kiss her harder.
It was more of an instinctive urge than a vocal
command, but Inuyasha understood and
obeyed regardless. He pressed his hand
more firmly into the small of Kagome's back and pulled her tightly
into his body, causing her to gasp in surprise. She recovered
quickly and wound her hands around his neck, pressing herself even
harder against him and prompting him to hold her tighter. He
shuddered, knowing that he should stop before this got out of hand,
but for the life of him, he wasn't sure how to do so. Now that the
girl was in his arms, pressing into him, kissing him like he had
wanted her to for weeks now, he didn't think he could ever let
go.
Kagome suddenly broke the kiss and pulled back
a little, her breaths quick and shallow
as her hands
returned to his shoulders.
“Inuyasha?” she breathed, curiosity written on her
beautiful face. She had obviously detected the abrupt change in his
demeanor and seemed to be concerned for him, despite her initial
reaction. “Are you all right?”
`I don't know,' he thought to himself, panting, but he swallowed and nodded
as he caught his breath. “Yeah,” he said, fighting against his baser
instincts and forcing himself to loosen his hold on her body so she
could right herself. Once she was steady on her feet, his hands
moved to her waist, the silky material of her gown easing their
trek. “I'm fine.”
Her brown eyes glowed in the moonlight as she
smiled almost sadly up at him.
“Inuyasha….”
“No,” he responded, knowing what
she was about to say. “Don't go back.
Please.”
Her head bowed, resting her forehead on the his
sternum. “I have to. He'll come looking for
me.”
“No,” he repeated, pulling her into
his body once more and embracing her. “He'll smell me on you,
Kagome. Just stay with me. I'll protect you from
him.”
Her arms wound around his trim waist, her hands
playing with the ends of his hair as she pressed her cheek to his
chest. “He won't hurt me,” she insisted, and then
paused for a moment before continuing. “Inuyasha I know what
you want, and…and it's what I want, too. But I need to go to
him now. I can't leave him like this.”
“Fuck him.” He held her tighter and
closed his eyes. “You don't owe him anything, Kagome. He
treats you like he owns you, like you're his fucking property. No
man, human or youkai, should treat his woman like that.” He
dropped his head to murmur into her sweet-smelling hair. “I
wouldn't treat you like that.”
“I know,” she whispered.
His eyes opened. She knew?
She pulled back and cupped his smooth cheek
with her soft hand. A genuine smile flitted across her kiss-swollen
lips as they uttered the words that shouldn't have meant nearly as
much to him as they did. “You're not like
him.”
Her touch was like witchcraft.
“Kagome,” he pleaded, leaning in to kiss her again,
only to be stopped by her fingers pressing into his
lips.
“I have to go,” she said
more firmly, the unmistakable
scent of sorrow leaking into her natural
scent as she stepped out of his hold.
Desperate to rid her of that emotion that too
often gripped her—no matter what the reason—he lunged
forward and captured her lips in another ardent kiss, cupping her
face in both of his hands and refusing to be deterred. Before she
could react, he released her and peered into her shocked eyes.
“Don't be sad. I hate it when you smell like
that.”
Her eyes widened even further. “You can
smell that?”
“Feh.” He smirked, pleased to have
been able to distract her. “I can smell all sorts of
things.”
The blush that graced her cheeks and nose made
her irresistible, and he just had to kiss her again. He gave her a
chance to return it this time, holding her close as she pressed her
lips back into his. A soft whimper from her throat was all it took
to boost his ego, having been a bit deflated when she had made to
leave. Their lips parted with an audible smack as he opened his
eyes, seeing hers were still shut in the lost haze of their quick
passion. Inuyasha brushed the stray curls out of her face and
behind her shoulder, coaxing her to reveal those beautiful, coffee-colored eyes for which he had fallen so easily. “Kagome, let's get
out of here, together. We can go out and
get some dinner or something, or I
can just drop
you off at your apartment. I don't care where we go. Just please
don't go back to him now.”
She said nothing more as she sobered from the
touch of his lips, but grabbed one of his hands with both of hers
and turned her head to place a soft kiss on his palm. He watched
her look at him again and smile grimly as she slowly released the
hand, stepping backward toward the balcony door that led to her
responsibility in the ballroom. His kissed hand, still warm from
her lips, curled into a loose fist and rested in front of his
stomach, the other hanging limply at his side as amber eyes
observed her hesitant retreat.
Kagome finally reached the door and turned to
open it, then looked back at him once more. “You taste
divine,” she whispered, blushing brightly in the
moonlight, before stepping inside the
building and out of his sight.
Inuyasha stared at the door for a full minute,
willing it to open again but knowing it wouldn't. She had returned
to Koga for the evening, and as he stood there trying to hate her
for doing so, he knew she had only done it out of duty. She was
trying to be honorable, and he had to
accept that. Didn't he?
`No!'
Turning toward the river as he had when she
first came to him, he watched the slow current glitter in the
moonlight as if it was acknowledging his warring emotions. He knew he
shouldn't be getting involved with her; he'd known it from the
beginning and had almost convinced himself this week that he could
resist her. But then, tonight had come, and he had kissed her,
effectively squandering all hope of turning his back on her now.
Now things were different. Now his instincts were calling the
shots.
Now Kagome was his, and he was hers.
With that settled, Inuyasha turned and made for
the door to head back to the ballroom. The wolf was about to be in
for a big fucking surprise.
***
Koga looked at his watch and clenched his
fists. “All right, I'm going after her,” he
growled.
Sesshomaru put a firm hand on his shoulder,
shocking the wolf nearly out of his skin. “You will
not,” he commanded. “My event will not be disrupted
because you don't have a tight enough leash on your
bitch.”
Koga shrugged the hand off his shoulder but
stayed put, mumbling as he crossed his arms over his chest,
“Don't call her a bitch. I think that's what got me into this
fucking mess to begin with.”
“It seems to me that was the final straw,
not the first.”
The wolf scowled at the apparent wisdom of his
friend's words but didn't have time to reply, because that was the
moment that Kagome made her reappearance at the far end of the
ballroom. Catching her attention with as serene of an expression as
he could muster on his face, Koga motioned for her with a simple
wave of his hand, and she smiled and waved back as she worked her
way through the crowd toward him. As she squeezed between the dancing couples,
Koga stepped away from Sesshomaru and watched her approach with a
guarded heart, only allowing himself to notice the smile she gave
him and ignoring anything which might have shown evidence of
betrayal. But as she got closer, there was something about her that
he was unable to dismiss. The scent on her skin, on her gown; it
was pungent, and it was fresh.
And it smelled of dog.
Koga saw red as he quickly cut through the
guests and closed the now short distance between them. She dared to
betray him again?! Was his trust in her for nothing? His hand
whipped out to grip her bare bicep, undoubtedly scaring the girl
more than he was intending to. His voice low and dangerous so as
not to be overheard by the others around them, he pulled her close
so she could hear his words over her startled gasp. “Where
the fuck were you?”
Her fear vanished before his eyes, quickly
being replaced by something much more hostile. Kagome's own eyes
narrowed even as she turned her face away from his. “I was
talking to Inuyasha.”
`So she admits it freely?'
He loosened his hold on her arm, but kept her
in his grasp. “Why do you smell like him?”
Her expression was becoming angrier by the
second. “I hugged him. He's my friend, Koga. Am I not allowed
to hug my friend?”
“Why did you hug him?”
She tried to shake out of his grip, but he held
steadfast. Her insolence was enraging his alpha instincts, and it
was all he could do to keep them in check for her sake. Leaning in
closely, he growled his next words. “Don't make a scene in
front of all these people. Just tell me why you hugged him,
Kagome.”
Angry brown eyes met his in defiance for a
brief moment, and then she turned away again before she spoke.
“No.”
“Dammit, Kagome.” He purposefully
kept his voice low, knowing it was intimidating her but not knowing
of any other way to get an answer out of her. Why was she being so
stubborn? “You can't lead him on like that. Don't you see the
mutt lusts after you? He may think -”
“Don't call him that,” she
demanded.
Koga blinked. “Call him what?” Her
face remaining away from his was beginning to annoy him.
“You know,” she said, still facing
away. “What you just called him. Don't call him
that.”
Ignoring the supposed sympathy she held for the
half-breed, Koga searched through the faces in the room before
finally spotting him near the musicians' stage, noticing he was
watching them intently. Turning back toward his woman, he pointed
in Inuyasha's direction. “Kagome, you can't give him reason
to believe his feelings for you may be returned, or he may never
leave you alone. Shit, he may be stalking you already. Look at him
over there! He just keeps staring at us… at
you!”
Her eyes darted in the direction in which he
gestured, as did Koga's. He saw the resentment in the hanyou's
eyes, and for a brief moment, he almost pitied him. The poor
bastard wanted something he would never get, but then again, he had
to be accustomed to that by now, being the half-breed fuck that he
was. Facing Kagome again to drive his point home, Koga was shocked
by what he saw. Her soft brown eyes had glazed over with moisture,
and Koga was forced to restrain himself from attacking the hanyou
when he saw the unfiltered emotion in her gaze. The affection, the
fucking desire
in those eyes projected from her being and shot
straight through Koga's heart like bullets from a firing squad.
She… she actually wanted this half-breed?!
Koga seethed in jealousy. Was this really happening? For two and a
half fucking years he courted this bitch for jack shit in return,
and now she wanted a hanyou? A mutt?!
Her eyes closed then, and he growled aloud when
he saw a tear drop down her soft cheek. His heart was breaking upon
the realization that she felt desire for another when Koga hadn't
even bedded her yet, but his determination never wavered. He had to
do something about this now before he lost her to the mutt. His
instincts would have to be subdued if he was going to accomplish
this, however. He knew he was going to have to placate her if he
had any chance.
Realizing he was still holding her arm, he
finally relinquished his grip and placed his hand gently on her
back in an attempt to soothe her. “Kagome, I
-”
His fingertips had barely met her skin before
she fled out of his reach, escaping through the crowd and out the
nearest set of double doors.
***
Sesshomaru watched the exchange between Koga
and the human girl with restrained amusement, wondering whether the
ookami had any idea how little control he had over her. She was
undeniably defiant, this one. He had never pegged Koga as the type
to allow a woman to act in such a way to him, especially in front
of other youkai, but apparently he had been mistaken.
He also observed some things to which the wolf
seemed to be oblivious, such as the fact that the woman smelled of
much, much more than a mere hug from his brother. Of course, Koga's
inferior sense of smell was not picking up on this, which only
added to Sesshomaru's amusement. Her lips looked slightly puffy as
well, which Koga also seemed to be either unaware of or ignoring.
Lastly, he noticed she would never breathe in Koga's direction when
she spoke. `Hiding the half-breed's
breath now, are we?'
Sesshomaru was certain of her activity before
she had returned to the ballroom, but her emotions became clear as
well when she met the hanyou's eyes after Koga so unwisely pointed
him out to her, and Sesshomaru actually found himself pitying the
wolf. This female was already out of Koga's desperate grasp, and
the fool didn't even know it yet. Then Sesshomaru watched him make
the biggest mistake of the night: he let go of her arm. She was
gone in a flash.
Koga remained where he stood with a pathetic
display of defeat on his face as he watched her flee his presence.
Sesshomaru glanced to his right where Inuyasha had been standing by
the stage and noticed he, too, was making a quick escape out a
different set of doors. He scowled. Would Inuyasha really be so
careless? No doubt, the woman was mildly attractive for a human;
even the mighty Sesshomaru would admit that much. But was she worth
the trouble the hanyou was risking being involved with her? Would
he regret his choice to pursue the woman once the consequences of
such recklessness took effect? Koga would undoubtedly not stand by
and allow his female to be taken so
easily. Was Inuyasha ready to defend
himself against a scorned youkai male for the sake of a mere human
female? `He has too much of
Otou-san's blood in his veins,' he
decided.
Sesshomaru waited for about fifteen minutes,
seeing Koga was still staring at the door through which the woman
had fled. The charity ball carried on around the wolf, the various
humans and youkai in attendance drinking and dancing and laughing
as if he wasn't even there, which only made him stand out even more
as an abandoned, stagnant fixture surrounded by merriment.
Sesshomaru, having had enough of this embarrassing show of
disgrace, finally approached Koga with his usual air of dignity. He
noticed the stench of failure surrounding the wolf, making
Sesshomaru wrinkle his nose in disgust. How pathetic to allow
oneself to be manipulated in such a way, and by a woman, no less.
Looking at the door, the inu youkai offered him a chance to redeem
himself. “What will you do, wolf? She seems to have been
running from you all evening.”
Before Koga could respond, a vibrating sound
came from his breast pocket, and he absently reached into his
jacket to retrieve the source of the noise. Sesshomaru subtly
peeked at the phone to see the message there.
From: Kagome
Not feeling well. Sango took me home.
Talk to you later.
Sesshomaru suppressed his amused sneer. The
female was definitely out of the wolf's grasp.
“She… she left,” Koga said,
disbelief ringing in his voice as he stared at the phone in his
hand.
“How did she leave?”
Koga shook his head and frowned, slipping the
phone back into his pocket. “Her cousin's family lives here.
She and her boyfriend come here on the weekends sometimes. Kagome
must have called her to pick her up.”
`Of course she did.' Sesshomaru mentally rolled his eyes.
Glancing first toward the stage, Koga's frowned
deepened into glower as he looked around the ballroom, his scent
morphing into one of irritation as blue eyes became narrow slits.
“Where's your asshole of a half-brother?”
Sesshomaru watched the wolf carefully,
observing his rage slowly build as assumptions—correct
assumptions, but assumptions nonetheless—formed in his
pea-sized brain. He didn't answer at first, giving the situation
some thought. After all, whose fault was it really that Koga
couldn't control his bitch?
“Sesshomaru. Where is he?” Koga's
voice lowered menacingly.
“Watch your tone with me, wolf,” he
warned. “Inuyasha is gone. I sent him on an errand while you
were grieving the escape of your woman. He won't be back
tonight.”
Huffing indignantly to himself, he finally
straightened up, his scent still reeking of anger and defeat.
“Fine,” he muttered, buttoning his jacket. He took a
quick look around again before announcing, “I need a
drink.”
Sesshomaru watched him stride away in search of
liquor, secretly wondering if Koga really was as clueless as he
seemed. `You'd better know what
you're getting into, Inuyasha. I will not cover for you
again.'
***
Kagome closed her phone and set it in her lap
after sending the text message to Koga. She looked to her left with
a grateful smile. “Thanks for getting me out of
there.”
“No problem,” Inuyasha answered,
his handsome features visible in soft blue glow from the dashboard
of his car.
The top of the convertible was up, and despite
how she always asked Koga to keep the top up when she rode with
him, Kagome was surprised to currently find herself longing for the
feel of the wind on her face. She admired the black leather
interior and idly wondered how much the car must have cost him. She
shot him a curious glance. “I hope you don't mind my asking,
but how can you afford a car like this?”
He frowned a bit and hesitated for a few
seconds before finally replying, “It was a gift from my old
man.” The finality of his tone made it clear to Kagome that
he wasn't going to say anything further on the topic.
`His father must be very
wealthy.' She frowned as she looked
out her window at the busy downtown New Orleans nightlife. She had
no idea Inuyasha came from money, and if she was forcing herself to
be honest—something she seemed to be doing a lot of this
evening—she had to admit it was a bit of a turn-off. Koga had
a small fortune himself, and although he still worked for a living,
he never missed an opportunity to remind anyone of his wealth,
including Kagome. The money card never scored very highly in her
book. On the other hand, Inuyasha had never pointed out that his
family was rich, so that had to count for something, right? At
least he wasn't full of himself. `Well, not in that way, anyway,' she thought, smiling to herself as she remembered some of
his antics during drumline.
Kagome looked down at her seat and languidly
ran her fingers along the soft leather next to her leg. She had to
admit, it was pretty nice compared to the cheap fabric seat covers
of her Camry. So, he had an expensive car. So what? Did that mean
he would use his money to get himself everything he thought he
deserved in life, including women? She didn't think so. His actions
and behavior in the time that she'd known him so far indicated that
he wouldn't be so shallow, but beyond even that, he just didn't
seem like that type of guy. He didn't seem… like
Koga.
The revelations were coming to her in waves
this evening.
“Inuyasha….” She looked up
just in time to catch him watching her fingers out of the corner of
his eye before he blushed and returned his gaze to the road.
Looking down at her hand, she noticed the slit of her gown had
opened to show a fairly generous portion of her bare thigh. Her
face heated dramatically as she shifted the skirt to cover herself
more properly. `What's the big deal?
I show more leg than that in my shorts. Then again, my shorts won't
accidentally ride up far enough for anyone to catch a glimpse of
anything important.' That thought
only infuriated her blush, and she quickly turned away before he
caught it.
“What were you going to say?” he
asked, anxiety evident in his wavering voice.
“Um….” She fidgeted, trying
to remember what her train of thought had been when she was
admiring the leather of her seat. Stupid leather; look at how much
scandal that caused! “I was going to say that it's a nice
car.”
He seemed almost disappointed in her response,
as if he had been expecting something different. “Oh.
Thanks.”
“Sure.” Kagome peeked at him again,
briefly wondering what he thought she was going to say when
another, more important thought suddenly came to mind that she had
to give voice to. “Inuyasha, are you mad at me for leaving
you on the balcony?”
To her surprise, he immediately shook his head. “Feh. You did what you had to do.” He glanced at her
again with a small smile. “But I am glad you came out there
in the first place.”
She blushed again. How did he always get that
reaction out of her? “Well… it was worth
it.”
“Definitely,” he agreed, sounding
much more like his normal self now.
She smiled as she looked into her lap shyly,
fiddling distractedly with her cell phone.
Inuyasha's large hand then rested itself on the
gear shift, teasingly close to her knee as he spoke again.
“Also, I'm glad you decided to leave the ball before dinner
was served.”
“Why's that?” she asked curiously,
watching his telltale smirk return in full force.
“Because now I get to take you
out.”
“Oh.” She grimaced.
“Inuyasha, I don't know if that's such a good idea right
now.”
“Why not? We're hungry, and we're dressed
to kill. I say we hit a nice restaurant
in style, but if you'd rather go home
and change first, that'd be fine, too.”
“It's not that.” She dropped her
nervous gaze to her lap once more. “It's
just….”
“What?” he asked somewhat
impatiently.
She met his eyes as they sat at a red light.
“It's just that… I'm still with Koga technically, and I
don't want to -”
“Betray him. Got it,” he finished
for her bitterly and turned to face the road again. The light
turned green, and Inuyasha honked at the car in front of him when
it didn't move right away.
“Inuyasha, please understand,” she
pleaded, resting her hand soothingly on
his strong forearm. “I like you. I really like you. But I need to break things off with him
before I can think of being with you. How would you feel if I
cheated on him to be with you? How could you ever trust that I
wouldn't do the same to you?”
“Kagome, you keep running hot and
cold,” he griped as he maneuvered his way through the busy
streets toward the interstate. “I know you like me, but
you're not willing to do anything about it. And like an idiot, I
just keep trying to win you because I can't give up, and in turn I
just keep getting more of your rejection.”
Her heart clenched at the frustration in his
voice. “I'm not rejecting you! Didn't you hear what I just
said? I'm going to break up with Koga for you!”
Inuyasha gave her a skeptical look.
“Really?” he asked genuinely, his tone betraying the
hope he harbored.
Really? Was she really ready to do what she had
been wanting to do for over two years? Was she really willing to
risk….
“Yes!” she cried, more to herself
than to him as she tightened her grip on his arm. “I want to
be with you, Inuyasha. I've wanted to for a while,
but….” She trailed off.
He nodded blankly, his expression and voice
unreadable as he merged onto the interstate. “I
see.”
A few minutes of uncomfortable silence
followed, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually giving up on
trying to discern what he was thinking, Kagome released his forearm
and watched the street lights of the freeway whiz by her window.
She knew she was definitely starting to feel something substantial
for Inuyasha, but was it costing her her integrity? She had already
lied to her boyfriend—again—in order to be with
Inuyasha, if only for the duration of the ride back to Baton Rouge.
And, she had kissed Inuyasha while still dating Koga. Actually, if
she were to get technical, Inuyasha had kissed her, but she
certainly had done nothing to stop him.
And what about that kiss? She had deliberately
disregarded Sango's warning and had wholeheartedly allowed him to
kiss her, and she'd be damned if she would ever regret it. But
Kagome had noticed right away when something changed in Inuyasha's
behavior during the long, passionate kiss on the balcony. At one
point he had become somewhat aggressive. Not frightening in any
way, but… dominant. Possessive. Animalistic.
And the craziest part was that she had liked
it.
“The inu breed is of the most
ruthlessly possessive of all youkai. They tend to be jealous,
aggressive, dominant, over-protective….”
Sango had certainly hit the nail on the head
with that analysis. Kagome wondered if Inuyasha would continue to
be as territorial as he had seemed during the latter part of that
kiss if they started dating. Koga had displayed many of those same
characteristics with her over the course of their relationship,
albeit to a lesser degree, and she had never been fond of
them.
Of course, it was only tonight that she
realized exactly how much—or how little—she really
thought of the wolf. Those mannerisms had been nothing but a
nuisance with him, but she had a feeling that she would allow
Inuyasha to get away with them much more easily. No, she didn't
want a raving lunatic for a boyfriend, but what would be wrong with
a little passion from someone for whom she cared so deeply? She was
well aware that she was holding Inuyasha to a different standard
than she had ever held Koga, but wasn't that reasonable considering
she felt so much more for the hanyou than she ever did for the
youkai?
`So much more….'
A warm, clawed hand affectionately gripping
hers in her lap pulled her from her thoughts, and she faced the
owner of that hand again to see him watching the road ahead of him,
a somber expression marring his features. “I don't want to be
led on, Kagome.”
She covered his hand with her other one and
smiled, hoping to reassure herself as well as him. “I'm not
trying to lead you on, Inuyasha.”
He returned her smile, having heard hers in her
voice. “I guess I'm pretty lucky to have been so persistent
with you.”
“I guess so,” she teased, squeezing
his hand. Suddenly feeling bold, she leaned over the center console
a little bit and whispered playfully, “Although I think I'm
the lucky one. If you had given up on me, I wouldn't have had the
chance to kiss you tonight.”
His right ear twitched in response to her
breathy words. “Feh. There was no way I was going to give up
on you, wench.”
His cocky smirk, once so irritating to her
eyes, was having a much different effect on her now, and she
quickly leaned back into her seat lest he catch something with his
powerful nose that she didn't want him to. However, his broadened
grin at that moment did nothing to appease her embarrassment, nor
to dissuade the rush of blood to her cheeks. Thankfully, he
remained silent on the matter and only held her hand for the
remainder of the ride to Baton Rouge.
Inuyasha exited the freeway and turned onto
Dalrymple Drive, slowing his speed to a crawl on the nearly empty
street. Recognizing his stall for what
it was, Kagome smiled and squeezed his
hand, which was still firmly holding hers in her lap. “Wanna
put the top down?”
He gave her a surprised look. “I figured
you didn't want to get your hair all messed up. It looks like you
put a lot of work into that,” he teased as he released her
hand and gestured toward the top of her head.
“Hey!” she retorted, laughing in
spite of herself as she brought a
self-conscious hand to her hair.
“I'll have you know Sango helped me with this.” She
grinned at the mocking look he gave her and started pulling out the
pins in her hair. “Just shut up and put the top down, will
you?”
His eyes glimmered as he chuckled, reaching for
the button to grant her command. Within seconds, the warm night air
was blowing easily through her loose locks as she raked her fingers
through them. Finally feeling more like herself, she sighed happily
and looked to her left, admiring the way Inuyasha's silver mane
waved behind him in the slow wind. He caught her eye and grinned as
he downshifted to stop at a red light. This time, she reached for
his hand as it grasped the gear shift, running her fingertips
lazily along his knuckles and the raised tendons. She smiled when
the strong hand flexed and tightened on the knob and his skin
heated under her touch, knowing he was watching her every movement
with rapt golden eyes.
They finally made it to her apartment, and
Inuyasha walked her to her door. He even kept his hands to himself
as she climbed the steps in front of him, a feat that Miroku would
never be able to claim while following Sango.
While he was still behind her, Kagome quickly
reached into her cleavage and pulled her apartment key out of the
gown's built-in bra. She had put it there instead of in her clutch
out of fear of it falling out of the trendy accessory's open flaps.
After reaching the head of the stairs, she turned toward him and
smiled coyly, suddenly feeling like she was returning from a junior
high school date as she stood awkwardly in front of her
door.
Inuyasha gave her a suave smile and reached for
her hand. She let him take it and pull it toward him, effectively
tugging her body close to his for another kiss. His other hand
gently cupping her jaw, he kept this one short and innocent until
he began to pull away, nipping her bottom lip suggestively. She
giggled at his boldness, admitting only to herself how that one
little act was leaving her wanting more.
He smiled and lifted their joined hands to her
eye level, tapping the apartment key between her fingers with the
claw on his thumb. “Where did this come
from?”
Her smiled dropped suddenly, and her fiercest
blush of the night made its appearance at the knowing look in his
twinkling amber eyes. “Um….”
“Never mind.” He chuckled and gave
her one more quick kiss for good measure. “I'll let you go
with that one.”
Kagome couldn't help but to laugh in relief.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside her apartment, turning to
face him once more. “Good night, Inuyasha. And thank you
again for giving me a ride home.”
That characteristic smirk graced his lips,
revealing a sharp fang as he stuck his left hand into his trouser
pocket, looking every bit the GQ cover model he could
probably be. “My pleasure, wench. Now shut the door before I
invite myself in.”
Biting her lip, she
smiled demurely. “If I said no,
would you turn away?”*
“Not a chance,” he immediately
replied, confidently shaking his head. “You'd come around
eventually.”
Kagome nodded, satisfied with his answer and
slowly closed the door, noticing he kept his fervent eyes on her
for as long as he could. Once she heard the latch click into place,
she turned her back to the door and leaned against it, sighing
contentedly like a smitten teenager. `What is he doing to me?'
Deciding a hot, relaxing bath was in order, she
pulled off her heels and glided across the living room carpet
toward the hallway, intent on allowing herself the rest of the
evening to fantasize about Inuyasha rather than fret about
Koga.
***********************************
* “Try Again” by Aaliyah. The
lyrics to this song inspired the last section of this
chapter.
Merry Christmas! :)
