InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Strings and Kevlar ❯ The Light of Day ( Chapter 13 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha.

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“You kissed her? At the charity ball?!”

Inuyasha fought the urge to smirk at Miroku's gaping face after he dropped that bombshell on his friend. He glanced around the room to see if anybody had overheard Miroku's outburst, but the tables next to them were empty, typical of the Student Union on a Sunday afternoon. Satisfied, he nodded his head and casually slurped down the remainder of his Coke.

Miroku shook his head and put down his own cup, waving his hands in front of him. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, just wait a minute.” He set his palms on the table again and gave Inuyasha a truly incredulous glare. “Let me see if I understand this correctly. You kissed Kagome. When she was there with Kouga. Are you fucking crazy?”

Inuyasha bristled, squeezing his cup until the top popped off and flew onto the floor next to the table. “First of all, don't say his fucking name in front of me. I'm sick of hearing it.” His ears pulled back a little as he leaned forward menacingly. “The asshole insulted her in front of me. He's lucky I didn't rip his throat out. Besides, we were alone when I kissed her. It was out on the balcony overlooking the river.”

His initial shock having worn off some, Miroku's eyes glinted mischievously. “Well, don't you have an eye for romance? I have to admit, I never would have thought it.” He leaned back in his chair a bit and looked toward the ceiling while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, oblivious to Inuyasha's angrily twitching eye. “Hmm, I wonder what else you have stored away in that fanciful mind of yours.”

“Shove it, Shizuma,” Inuyasha replied gruffly, scooting his chair back and rising to his feet. “Like you're one to talk. `Oh, Sango, my love. Oh, my dearest,'” he mimicked in a sickly sweet tone as he picked up his tray and headed for the trash bins.

Standing to follow him, Miroku brought a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Oh, Inuyasha, I had no idea you were jealous. I knew we were friends, but to find out you harbor such feelings for me.” He sighed wistfully, eyes twinkling. “And to think, all this time I thought you were hung up on Kagome, when it was really me you wanted -”

“Shut the fuck up!” the hanyou shouted, dropping his empty tray none-too-gently on top of the garbage lid. “I swear, sometimes I think you really are queer.”

“No way, man.” Miroku took one last sip of his soda before tossing it into the trash can and following Inuyasha around the island of tables toward the doors. “I'm into females, and despite my reputation, now only my Sango holds my heart.”

“You sure about that? With the way you're constantly checking women out all the time, I figured you were trying to hit more than just Sango.”

“Are you kidding me?” Miroku shook his head. “She'd have my balls in a sling so fast, I wouldn't even realize it before they were being launched back to California. Besides, I love her.”

Inuyasha blinked at his friend's blunt admission, it prompting all sorts of thoughts that he clearly wasn't ready to deal with, especially when Kagome wasn't even free from Kouga's grasp yet. He growled softly at the reminder of the wolf's hold on her, shoving the door open with more force than necessary, the muggy heat producing an instant layer of sweat on their skin. `She's mine now, and I'll be damned if that mangy wolf will live another day thinking he could put his paws all over her without consequence.' His youki flared at the thought as he growled again.

Miroku tossed a nervous glance at the hanyou. “Inuyasha,” he said seriously.

Inuyasha blinked out of his thoughts and looked at Miroku, immediately letting the tension in his shoulders loosen as he again became aware of his friend's presence. Feeling a bit of wetness in his palms, he briefly looked down at his hands and was surprised to see small droplets of blood. He didn't realize he had gotten so worked up. "Yeah?" he finally replied, relaxing his hands to let the tiny wounds clot.

“What does it mean now that you kissed Kagome?”

Inuyasha started at the unexpected question, nearly stumbling over his own feet as they descended the stairs in front of the Student Union, the area virtually empty on the hot, lazy Sunday afternoon. “Wh-what the fuck brought that on?” he asked, hoping he wasn't referring to what Inuyasha thought he was.

Miroku glanced around them, making sure nobody was within earshot. Satisfied their conversation would not be overheard, he continued. “Sango mentioned to me that your demon instincts may… um, react to Kagome in a certain way. You know you can talk to me about it if you want to. I have to imagine that's a pretty heavy issue to deal with.”

Yes, Miroku was definitely referring to exactly that. Inuyasha frowned and gave his friend a hard look, noticing he was avoiding eye contact as if to preserve the hanyou's pride. He wasn't sure what to think; he'd never been so close to a human that they would offer to talk about something as personal as this, and he couldn't help but question Miroku's motives. Plus, the fact that the boy had any idea what he was talking about put Inuyasha a little bit on edge, and that he had learned it from Sango somehow made it even more unsettling. Just what in the hell did Sango know about youkai and hanyou anyway?

“Her family comes from a line of demon slayers,” Miroku clarified as if sensing Inuyasha's confusion. “She apparently has had a lot of training in demons, their instincts and all that.” He looked at the hanyou again, nervously scratching the back of his head. “So… was she right? It's okay, you know, if you're going through stuff. It seems like something you might want to vent about….”

Huffing, Inuyasha looked away toward the clock tower and said nothing, but inwardly, he was panicking. So Sango had an idea about how inu youkai instincts worked. But how much did she know? Did she know that his reaction to Kagome's kiss wasn't normal except when….

He gulped. How much did Sango really know? And how much had she told Kagome? For that matter, how much did he really understand about it? He remembered the talks with his father on the subject, brief as they were, but truth be told, he hadn't been paying much attention at the time. After all, most of those discussions had taken place just as Inuyasha was getting involved in music, which meant he had generally been more concerned with hitting the practice room than leaning about his youkai instincts regarding women.

Noticing Miroku was still waiting for an answer, Inuyasha scowled. He was going to have to give this some more thought before divulging such information. “Feh. She doesn't know what she's talking about.”

“Right.” Miroku continued to look forward, the tone of disbelief ringing clearly in his reply. Inuyasha blushed in spite himself, but still managed another “feh” before reaching the door of the Music Building. Squaring his shoulders and trying to shake the jumble of confused feelings with a shake of his head, he opened the door, hoping that an hour or two of practice would take his mind off of everything that had him feeling so off-balance.

Unfortunately, he quickly realized that the desired distraction would be interrupted yet again, for as soon as he stepped inside the building, Kagome's smooth scent washed over his nose. The remaining tension that had been humming throughout his body suddenly vanished with one telling whiff of her presence. He could faintly hear her plucking the strings of her cello over all of the other sounds of various instruments being played in the rooms, and he smirked as the memory of when he first met her in this very hallway came to mind.

`Keh. Fiery little wench.'

“What's wrong?” Miroku asked, looking back and noticing the hanyou had stopped at the door. He turned fully toward him and seemed poised to ask his unanswered question again before a look of recognition came to his face, followed by a smug leer. “Oh. Kagome must be here.”

Surprised out of his daze, Inuyasha frowned and advanced into the hallway, passing Miroku in the best attempt at nonchalance he could muster. “What makes you think I know that?”

“Those satellite dishes on top of your head, for one,” Miroku ribbed, earning a sharp glare. He laughed out loud at Inuyasha's angry reaction before foolishly adding, “Plus, that look of complete stupor on your face could only mean one thing: you smelled out the lovely Kagome, and her scent has transfixed you, having all but paralyzed you to the spot if you weren't so ridiculously eager to see her right now, even if it means barging into her practice room like a man with a death wish.”

“Wha - … I, uh…. No, she…..” Inuyasha stammered like a buffoon, flabbergasted that the prick had once again figured him out so easily and completely. His lack of adequate speech only further proved Miroku's point, and Inuyasha growled at his own show of humiliation. “Fuck off!” he finally retorted intelligently, stomping away from his laughing peer and, without consciously realizing it, straight in the direction of Kagome's practice room.

***

After far too much time of continuously plucking the strings on her cello, Kagome sighed in frustration as she sat in the stuffy practice room, scowling at the sheet music on her stand as if it were mocking her inability to master pizzicato. For over an hour she had been working on a particularly difficult sixteen-bar phrase in her latest assigned solo, and the tricky fingerings were stubbornly eluding her, despite her mild proficiency in the technique. She rolled her shoulders a bit and tilted her head to the side to stretch her neck in a mild attempt at ridding her body of the stubborn tension. True, pizzicato had always been her biggest weakness—which is why her professor had agreed that it needed to be a focus for this semester—but nothing ever gave her this much trouble. Why was she so distracted?

`Gee, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with that toe-curling liplock you shared with a certain hanyou last night?'

Heat flushed her cheeks, her skin tingling as she remembered the press of his mouth on hers, the heat of his hands as they moved across the bare skin of her arms and back, the vibration in his chest as he groaned against her lips, the bunching of the muscles in his neck as she looped her arms possessively around him, pressing herself against him more tightly….

Blinking out of her daydream, she put a hand to her chest as her breath quickened, belatedly realizing that there was no use trying to concentrate on her solo at the moment; she had hanyou on the brain. Swallowing thickly, she set her bow on the music stand, then rested the cello's neck against her shoulder and closed her eyes. It was amazing how one night and the right circumstances could initiate such a drastic shift in perspective. As much as she had been fighting it for the past few weeks, she could no longer deny her emotions after the brief evening she spent in his company. It was official: she was hard-up for Inuyasha, and the feeling was glaringly mutual. This admission, while simultaneously liberating and binding, had given birth to yet another discovery, albeit not a completely shocking one: no amount of self-induced coaxing or mental manipulation was going to establish any feelings in Kagome's heart for Kouga beyond friendship. And with that had come the final blow to this lame fiction Kagome had been trying to wrap around herself.

She needed to break up with him.

Kagome's breath quickened again, but for a much different reason as nerves fluttered in her belly. Despite his despicable behavior at the charity ball the previous night, Kagome felt bad for him. With the exception of a few jealous outbursts—`all directed at Inuyasha,' she realized, her brow furrowing—the wolf youkai had been nothing short of a perfect boyfriend to her throughout their relationship, doing everything in his power to win her despite her veiled lack of interest in him. But even as she counted Kouga's virtues, she found her thoughts drifting to her tepid feelings for him and compared them to the way Inuyasha made her feel. Catching herself, Kagome shook her head in frustration. What had Kouga ever done wrong? Why couldn't she just accept him? Thinking about this, she suddenly felt weighed down by a strange sense of failure. What in the hell was wrong with her anyway? A wonderful man had loved her, doted on her, and treated her better than most men ever treated their women. Why wasn't that good enough for her? As desperate as she was to avoid the reason, the memory of the way she felt in Inuyasha's arms swept over her, and she could no longer deny the truth her heart had been telling her for so long.

`I just don't love Kouga.'

She sighed and opened her eyes to stare blankly at the music on the stand. She knew what had to be done, and in spite of her dread, she couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved that there was an ethical reason she was breaking up with Kouga. The emotion just wasn't there, and that had been true long before Inuyasha had ever come into the picture. No, he wasn't perfect, but he deserved a real explanation as to why she wanted to end the relationship; one that didn't involve Inuyasha.

Figuring she had stalled on the music long enough, she tilted her head back to stretch her neck a bit before picking up her bow. Of course, this sudden urge to start playing again was not only because of the time; deep down, she knew she was avoiding going over how she would break it to Kouga. But such were the details that she didn't think she could deal with right now, for they were much too closely related to memories of a similar situation from three years back that she already thought of much too often.

Focusing on her solo once more, Kagome adjusted her fingers' position on the strings, pressing into the opening chord. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she brought her bow to the strings and counted off the beat in her head.

*BAM-BAM-BAM*

Her concentration totally shattered, Kagome growled angrily and dropped both of her hands to her sides. Now what? Hearing the door opening behind her, she turned sharply in her seat, ready to unleash hell.

“Damn, girl!” Sango yelled, slamming the door shut behind her. “What are you doing, avoiding me?” She moved to stand in front of the seated woman and crossed her arms over her chest. Looking down at her, her eyes locked with Kagome's, demanding an explanation.

Kagome's own eyes narrowed as she looked up at her irate cousin, immediately going on the defensive. “Come on in! Can I get you anything? Damn, what are you even talking about? I'm practicing! Do you mind?” she asked, motioning toward the door with her bow.

“Not a bit, thank you,” Sango shot back, shaking her head. “You're talking. Now. You were already in bed when I got home last night, and then you left early this morning -”

“I went on a run!” Kagome said in her defense, standing abruptly and forcing Sango to take a few steps back. She rested her cello on its stand as Sango continued her verbal assault.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sango waved her excuse off with a flick of her wrist. “And when you came back from that, you were showered and gone again in less than five minutes! I've never seen you move so fast! And not even a `good morning' for me? Or a `hello?' Maybe a `fuck you?' Anything?”

Kagome frowned and felt her face flush as she sought for an excuse to feed her. “I-I just wanted to get a practice room before they were all taken,” she argued feebly.

Sango deadpanned. “Please, don't insult me. You're avoiding me like death, and I want to know why.” She eyed her critically, taking a few steps closer. “What's going on? Does it have something to do with the charity ball last night?” She paused for effect. “…Or Inuyasha?”

Kagome gasped at the mention of the hanyou but otherwise remained silent, but it was too late. Sango smelled blood. “That's it!” she declared, pointing a finger at Kagome's chest. “What? What happened? Did you two get into an argument? Or he and Kouga? Oh, hell, don't tell me they fought! What did he say? And what about Kouga? Did he hurt you -”

“Damn, shut up, Sango!” Kagome finally cried out, fed up with the interrogation. “Nothing like that happened! Inuyasha and Kouga got into it a little bit, but that was it!” She bit her bottom lip, hoping Sango wouldn't press any further. She really didn't want to lie to her.

But her cousin knew her well, and she pointed to Kagome's lip. “You're keeping something from me, Kags. What is it? Something else happened, didn't it?” She crossed her arms again and waited, and both girls knew the percussionist would not be leaving until she heard the whole story.

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes. Damn, she was in a tight spot! Once Sango knew about that kiss, she was sure she'd never hear the end of it. Then again, maybe Sango would be able to shed some light on Inuyasha's abrupt shift in behavior during that kiss. She knew it had something to do with his instincts, but what exactly did it mean? And more importantly, was it worth the verbal lashing she would surely receive from her cousin to find out?

Sango tapped her sandaled foot impatiently against the tiled floor. “I'm waiting, Cuz.”

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, so... everything was going all right, I guess." She resisted the urge to scowl at the memory of Kouga's excessive possessiveness that night. "Eventually I noticed Inuyasha was there....” A light bulb went off in her head, and she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute! How did you know he was there?"

It was Sango's turn to blush. "Well, Miroku brought it up last night when I asked how Inuyasha had been doing lately. You know… since he's been kind of down lately."

Kagome winced. "Yeah, I know." She blew a deep breath out and continued, bring a hand up to rub her temples. "So, yeah. I noticed Inuyasha was there. Kouga and I were talking to Inuyasha's brother, who is a complete jerk, by the way," she added angrily, "and he called him over to where the three of us were. Inuyasha came, and he and Kouga went back and forth a little bit, and then I got angry and walked away." She sighed again, really not wanting to rehash the details of the entire evening. "Long story short, eventually Inuyasha and I ended up on the balcony and… and he kissed me."

Sango had been nodding sympathetically throughout the story until the last sentence filtered through to her brain, at which point her eyes widened in shock. "Wait! You let him kiss you? Kagome, what did I tell you -”

“Yes, Sango, I know!” Kagome rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “I remember what you said, but dammit! I just couldn't help myself. I don't know what it is, Sango, but…he has this effect on me, and sometimes I think… I think I may be….”

Sango nodded, a small smile on her lips. “I know.” She stepped forward and grasped Kagome's hands on hers. “And I don't think it's just you. That's why I was so worried.” She gripped her hands a little tighter. “Kagome, I could tell his feelings for you weren't just superficial. Hell, everyone can tell, other than you two stubborn bakas!” She laughed a little, enticing a few giggles from Kagome as well. “And if he makes you happy, then I'm so, so happy for you, but I just want to make sure you know what's happening.”

Kagome's smile fell slightly at the return of the serious tone to Sango's voice. Nodding slightly, she silently urged her to go on.

Taking a deep breath, Sango continued. “Inuyasha's instincts as an inu youkai—or inu hanyou, in his case—are going to drive him toward certain ends that most human males don't automatically consider. I don't mean to scare you,” she added quickly when Kagome's eyes widened, “but just be careful, okay? I told you how possessive inu youkai are, and by the looks of things, Inuyasha is no exception. I warned you once that if you didn't want anything to happen with him to not let him kiss you, but we see how long that approach lasted, now didn't we?” Sango squeezed her hands and smiled again before pulling her into a hug.

As Kagome hugged her back, she voiced her thoughts. “But what could happen? You keep being so cryptic about everything.”

Sango pulled back but kept her hands on Kagome's shoulders. “Let me guess: Inuyasha got a little aggressive when he kissed you.”

“Yes!” Kagome said, probably a little more shocked than she should have been that Sango had predicted his behavior. “What - what does it mean?”

Her cousin nodded thoughtfully. “With as deep as his feelings obviously run for you, his instincts were bound to kick in once he shared something as intimate as a kiss with you. You don't realize….” She trailed off, and then shook her head. “Look, he really cares about you, right?”

Blushing brightly, Kagome nodded.

“Right. So he kissed you, and then he probably got kind of possessive, right? Not in a psycho boyfriend way, but more like a `I want to protect my girl' type of way.”

Again, Kagome found herself surprised at the accuracy of Sango's analysis, considering she had not even been there when it happened. She could only nod in reply.

Sango squeezed her shoulders. “Kagome, Inuyasha's youkai is likely guiding his instincts. The inu in him will probably show a little more if you choose to be with him, but that's just it. By allowing him to kiss you, his instincts recognize that you've already accepted him as your…” She paused and seemed to consider her next words. “…As your man. True, Inuyasha is not completely controlled by his youkai and has the ability to make his own decisions, but you have to realize that his instincts will play a huge part in how he acts, just like ours do with you and me. Get it?”

“I think so,” Kagome replied. “So will he act differently now?”

Sango smiled in understanding. “It won't change his personality, if that's what you're nervous about, but you may just notice some subtle changes in his behavior toward you directly, as well as toward rival males.”

Kagome raised an eyebrow. “Rival males?”

Sango laughed. “I know, that sounds so `Animal Kingdom,' but you have to remember that in a way, this whole situation is very primal. Most men are like this, really, including human men. Some just don't show it as much, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kagome mused.

“Youkai—especially inu youkai—are not so inclined to hide those traits. They let them shine like the sun, and I'm telling you, don't underestimate them. Inuyasha would seriously injure anyone who hurt you in any way, and `injure' may even be an extreme understatement. Catch my drift?”

Kagome nodded, soaking everything her cousin gave her in like a sponge.

“Okay.” Sango squeezed her shoulders again before letting her go, crossing her arms over her chest once again. “So. With all of that being said, when are you going to break up with Kouga?”

`Shit.' Kagome sighed, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts. “I don't know. I know I have to do it soon, but I'm just a little….”

“I know,” Sango sympathized, picking up on what Kagome didn't want to mention. There was a long pause between them, each girl lost in their own thoughts, before Sango offered her opinion. “Kouga isn't irrational, Kagome. I really don't think he would do anything… rash.”

Looking down at her feet, Kagome nodded silently, not completely convinced.

“Just don't wait too long, okay?” Sango advised. “You don't want to keep him on stage very long with Inuyasha waiting in the wings. Not only is that just a horrible thing to do, but two men in competition over one female can be bad, and two youkai—or a youkai and a hanyou—will only end in disaster. I don't think you want to know the possibilities, Kagome, but suffice to say that both of them would probably end up hurt, and I don't mean emotionally,” she emphasized.

“I know,” Kagome said truthfully. She looked up into her cousin's eyes, steeling her nerves to make her intentions known, thereby not allowing herself any excuse to back out of them. “I'm going to do it tonight.”

Light brown eyes widened in surprise. “You mean you're going to break up with Kouga tonight? Tonight tonight?”

Nodding, Kagome set her plans in stone. “Yes, I have to. Like you said, it wouldn't be fair to anyone to wait. Besides, I think this is kind of overdue -”

“Gee, ya think?” Sango asked incredulously, barely stifling her giggles.

Kagome didn't laugh. “Come on, Sango, you know how it's been. I just wanted to be fair to him.”

“Bullshit, Kags,” Sango insisted, all humor spent. “You didn't stay with him for him; you stayed with him for you, and you know it. You were scared to end it.”

Kagome started to defend herself, but Sango cut her off, pointing that damned finger in her face again. “Don't even try it! I saw how you were around him. You haven't been able to stand him since… since ever! Admit it: you thought he was hot that night you met him, and so you gave him your number because you were drunk. Since then, you regretted it, but you stayed with him because you didn't want to deal with the possibility of another bad breakup,” she finished, opting for brutal honestly.

The tears in Kagome's eyes almost reached the surface, but she pushed them back stubbornly even as she nodded. Right on cue, Sango embraced her again, rubbing her back soothingly, and Kagome allowed herself a few moments to be comforted by her cousin. She would never be able to forget the night Hojo died, but it hadn't been fair of her to string Kouga along for over two years because of her fears. But she would correct that blunder tonight. Tonight, everything would be set right: Kouga would be free to find someone who could love him as much as he deserved, and Kagome would be free of her commitment to a man she didn't love. And then there was Inuyasha….

She pulled out of Sango's arms and wiped her eyes, looking at her cousin whom she loved with all her heart. “Thanks, Sango,” she said sincerely.

Sango smiled. “For what?” She laughed and winked at her, causing Kagome to smile as well. “I better go; I still have to iron the kinks out of my solo for my lesson this week.” She turned toward the door, looking back once more. “You want me to go with you tonight? We could get some dinner afterward if you want.”

“No.” Kagome shook her head, trying to keep the slight tremor out of her voice. “I need to go alone. Who knows how long I'll be there?”

Her cousin smiled warmly. “Good luck, girlie. I probably won't see you until you get back then, so just call me if you need anything, okay?”

“I will.” Kagome smiled, narrowing her eyes playfully. “Now get the hell out. I'm working on my Katz piece.”

Sango shook her head. “Damn! You really are a glutton for punishment!” She laughed, making a quick escape and slamming the door behind her.

Kagome laughed as she returned to her chair. She could always count on Sango to cheer her up, no matter what was going on. She was cool like that… except, of course, when she wasn't. But they both came by that honestly.

Sighing again, she glared at the solo on her stand for a moment before picking up her cello and resting it against her body. She had certainly had enough of a break now to clear her head; there were no more excuses as to why she couldn't concentrate on the piece now.

`Other than Inuyasha, that is.'

No. She shook her head. She had to focus, or else she would show up to her lesson the next day unprepared, and that just didn't happen. Ever. One more deep breath and she picked up her bow, finding the section she had previously been working on, and counted off the meter in a quiet whisper. A few double stops later, Kagome jumped into the pizzicato section with confidence, more than a little excited when her fingertips were achieving the desired tension and timbre.

*BAM-BAM-BAM*

“Dammit!” she cursed, barely resisting the urge to throw her bow to the ground. “Sango, don't you have anything better to do than -”

“Since when do I look like your overbearing cousin?”

Kagome whirled in her seat, completely caught off-guard by the familiar masculine voice booming from behind her, and gasped. “Inuyasha!” she said excitedly, then immediately blushed as she realized her pathetic attempt at keeping the enthusiasm from her voice had failed miserably.

He gave her a smug grin as he opened the door wider to fully enter the small room, closing it behind him once he was in. He leaned casually against the door, looking at her expectedly. “Well?”

She cocked an eyebrow, a little more in control of her actions now that the shock of seeing him had worn off. “Well what?”

He sighed theatrically and crossed his arms. “Waiting for an apology for confusing me with a human female.”

Kagome couldn't help but to smile as she stood to set her cello aside once again. “Okay, Inuyasha,” she said as she turned to face him, and then executed a very formal bow. “I humbly beg your forgiveness for mistaking you for my honored cousin.” Not waiting for a response, she straightened up and crossed her arms, giving him a mock glare. “Happy?”

“It'll do,” he teased, pushing himself off the door and approaching her with arms extended. She instantly felt his pull on her and didn't hesitate to meet him halfway, immediately falling into his warm embrace. Winding her arms around his waist, she pressed her cheek to his chest and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling as if all her worries about Kouga were light years away. How did she already feel so comfortable in his arms? They had only openly admitted their interest in each other less than twenty-four hours earlier… well, she had only done it then, anyway. He had actually confessed his feelings long before….

She squeezed her eyes tighter and pressed more firmly into his hold. That was in the past. He had forgiven her coldness to him for some reason, and she couldn't deny the fact that she was relieved to be in his good graces. She felt his chin rest on top of her head and his chest expand and then relax with a deep breath, and she smiled. He seemed to be just as content and at ease with her as she was with him, and as the silence of their embrace stretched on, she idly wondered again how they had grown so close in such a short amount of time. Why did she already feel as if she belonged right where she was now? Did he feel the same way? What about those instincts Sango had been warning her about? And for that matter, she had still never fully described what said instincts could be leading Inuyasha to feel or do! Kagome frowned and opened her eyes. How did she let Sango get away without explaining that?

Inuyasha loosened his hold on her enough to look down at her. “What's wrong?”

“Hmm?” she responded distractedly, her head still resting on his chest.

“You seem tense all of a sudden,” he explained. One of his clawed hands stroked her hair gently down her back. “Are you okay?”

Shaking the thoughts of her cousin away, Kagome smiled, pulling back to look up at him. “Yeah.” She was definitely okay now. “I'm fine.”

Inuyasha gave her a sly grin and released his protective hold on her, and she instantly missed the warmth of his arms despite the muggy air in the small practice room. “I just wanted to come and bug you a little. I know how you love being interrupted.” He winked.

Heat rushed to her cheeks as she remembered the day she had first seen him. Narrowing her eyes playfully, she smiled in a feeble attempt at hiding her embarrassment. “You really were staring into my room like a loony, you know,” she teased, poking him in the ribs.

“Oi!” he retorted smartly, laughing as he grabbed her offending finger. “I liked what I saw. What the hell is wrong with that?”

“Let go, Inuyasha!” she shrieked between giggles, tugging in the fight for her finger back as more blood flooded to her face. “And who gave you permission to leer at me, anyway? As if I'm a piece of meat!” She laughed after victoriously reclaiming her index finger from his hold.

“Keh!” Having allowed her to win the short battle, he picked the tin of rosin up off her stand and tossed it in the air, catching it and tossing it again. “I don't need your consent to look at you. Besides, with legs like yours, who wouldn't stare?” He chuckled as her face heated to comical proportions. “What's the matter, wench? Pissed that I didn't `seek your permission' to check you out?”

“Ass!” she countered, laughing out loud with him now and trying to catch the tin as it was in the air, but failing each time. Now thoroughly embarrassed from the combination of his flirting and her not being able to retrieve her rosin, she opened her mouth and blurted out, “What makes you think I wasn't checking you out, too?”

He caught the tin again and held it, smirking deviously. “Oh, really?” His eyes turned a tawny gold as he eyed her up and down. “Well, tell me, Kagome. Did you like what you saw as well?”

Her smile dropped instantly and she froze, having just realized what she had so unwisely admitted. `Great! There'll be no getting around his ego now!' Trying to maintain a little dignity, she could only smile innocently and let him guess at her response, but suddenly her thoughts took a serious turn. Apprehension flooded her conscience as she recognized the hunger in his eyes. What was she doing? What were they doing? A few impassioned, spontaneous kisses under the moonlight were one thing, but holding each other so intimately like that had just been doing? Flirting like lovers? She bit her lip and looked down at her feet, mentally chastising her behavior, knowing they had to slow down. No matter what Inuyasha thought—though he had been pretty understanding last night after their talk—she was officially still dating Kouga. This was wrong.

Apparently sensing her sudden hesitation, Inuyasha frowned. “Thinking about him?”

Kagome winced at the near repulsion in his tone as the last word left his mouth, and slowly raised her eyes to his. “It's just….”

He sighed irritably, setting the tin of rosin back down and running a clawed hand through his bangs. “Yeah. I know.” His eyes still held the longing she had seen in them for what seemed like such a long time now—really only a couple of weeks—and she could easily sense that his patience was wearing thin. Sango's lecture played through her head as she envisioned all of the possible ways Inuyasha's instincts may encourage his actions with this would-be love triangle, and suddenly Kagome realized she needed to soothe his nerves, and she knew exactly how to do it.

“Inuyasha,” she started, taking one of his large hands in hers. She looked up into his eyes, angry and hurt swirling through amber. “I'm ending it tonight.”

His lips parted slightly in surprise, but then his hand gripped hers firmly as his eyes hardened. “How? Over the phone?”

She frowned, recognizing the barely-veiled request. “No, we've been dating for over two years. I can't just dump him in a phone call!” She paused hesitantly, fairly sure of how he would react to her next sentence. “I'm going to his house tonight to talk to him about it.”

A low growl sounded from his throat as his grip on her hand tightened protectively, but she shook her head. “I have to, Inuyasha. It wouldn't be right otherwise. He deserves to hear it from me face-to-face.”

His scowl deepened, but he said nothing, and she knew he was considering her logic. His hand remained wrapped around hers as he looked at the ground, and she silently hoped he wouldn't force her to argue with him on this. In the end, it wouldn't matter if he didn't approve; she was determined to handle this situation her way, and her way was to be honorable to Kouga and make a clean break, and to do it in person.

“All right,” he finally relented, raising his eyes to hers again. “But you'd better call me if something happens, all right? In fact, maybe I should follow you and wait outside.”

She shifted her weight to one foot. “No, Inuyasha,” she replied, a little appalled by his suggestion. “Everything will be fine. Kouga would never hurt me, if that's what you're thinking. And he'd probably be able to sense your youki outside, anyway.” She shook her head and grabbed their joined hands with her other one, grasping his one with her two. “Please, just let me do this on my own, all right? I'll be okay….” She stopped herself from absently bringing up Hojo, suddenly wondering if she should tell him the story at some point down the road. But his slow nod after she trailed off gave her pause, making her wonder if he didn't already somehow know it. Her eyes flashed suddenly as a realization came to her. `Miroku,' she grumbled mentally.

Inuyasha's voice one again pulled her from her distracting thoughts. “Okay, wench,” he said, offering a small smirk as a sort of peace offering. “But you'd still better call me. Don't keep me worrying about you all night.”

Her heart warmed slightly at his gruff show of concern. She gripped his fingers reassuringly. “Fine. I'll call you when I'm on my way home. Deal?”

“Deal.” He smiled genuinely, effectively relieving some of the tension in the air between them. His eyes flash mischievously as he licked his lips. “So… whatcha doing after drumline this Friday?”

She smirked at his forwardness. “Why? You need a cymbal lesson?”

“Feh! Don't forget who the real percussionist is between the two of us. I'll come to you when I want to play a fruity string instrument,” he teased, squeezing her hands.

“Fruity?!” she snapped, yanking her hands from his playfully. “I'll have you know that men—straight men—make up some of the best cellists in the world!”

“That's right! So what chance do you have?” he retorted, laughing heartily at her indignation.

“Ugh! You ass!” She laughed with him, slapping his arm playfully before he caught her wrist with his strong hand. The mood suddenly taking another heated turn, she blushed brightly as his fingers slipped up and between hers, his eyes emblazoned once again as he gave her his demand.

“Shut up and let me take you out.”

She swallowed hard, the heat in his voice sending little thrills down her spine. “This Friday, huh?” she breathed.

“That's right.” His own smile faded just slightly before he spoke again. “He'll be history by then, right?”

She instantly sobered, cursing his ability to set and break the mood within three heartbeats. She was trying to be patient, but his questioning tone was irritating. “Yes, Inuyasha, I told you. Tonight.”

He watched her intently for a moment, and she thought she saw his ears droop slightly. “I'm sorry, Kagome. I don't mean to pressure you. I'm just… I have to admit, I'm pretty happy you're breaking up with him.”

`So am I,' she admitted silently, and smiled reassuringly for both their benefits. “I know, and I understand.” She looked down at their joined hands, the tips of his claws resting gently on the back of her hand. Such trust she already had in him…. Her memory reverted back to the day he had almost kissed her in the Percussion Annex at the end of band camp. He had traced those deadly claws down her cheek, and she had had no doubt about whether he would hurt her with them, despite having only known him for two weeks at that point, and a tumultuous two weeks at that. Kagome smiled fondly at the memory and returned her gaze to his. “Yes, I'd love to go out with you this Friday.”

He released a lung-full of air and smiled in relief, warming her heart even more. “Great,” he said. “It's a date, then.”

She nodded. “It's a date.”

His eyes twitched, and she realized he wanted to kiss her. She could tell by the darkened hue of his eyes and, oddly, she thought she vaguely felt the pull of his youkai on her, which was… strange, to say the least, especially since she had so long ago given up on her familial miko training. Nevertheless, she didn't feel exactly right kissing him now, in the light of day when they had their heads screwed on correctly, as opposed to the night before when their passions had run away with them. `I just have to break up with Kouga,' she reminded herself, feeling both excited and terrified at the prospect.

Fortunately, he eventually seemed to either agree with her or want to respect her wishes—she guessed the latter—as he simply squeezed her hand and let go, backing away slowly. He licked his lips as he kept his eyes on her, and though she was almost sure he had done so subconsciously, a small part of her wasn't so sure that he hadn't done it to taunt her. God, how she wanted to kiss him, now more than ever.

`What an ass.'

“All right, I'll leave you to your practice,” he said, finally reaching the door. He gave her a wink as he opened it. “Don't forget to practice with that tuner.”

Kagome put a hand on her hip, only partially humored by the joke. “Ha ha, funny hanyou. How are those flam paradiddle-diddles coming along?”

Inuyasha smirked and nodded, clearly impressed with her banter. “Well played, wench.” Another flirty wink, and he was gone, the door shutting quietly behind him.

***

Kouga sighed and flopped onto his black leather couch and turned on the television. It was Sunday, it was late, and all he wanted to do was watch the news, drink his bourbon, and pass out before work tomorrow.

The day of staring at the phone with the occasional food break had been oddly exhausting, but he had been hoping to hear from Kagome, and she had never called. He knew she hadn't been feeling well the night before at the ball—`that's what she claimed, anyway,' his mind grumbled quietly—and he had been a little worried when night had fallen this evening and he hadn't heard from her. But, not wanting to be pushy, he had refrained from calling her, which required no small amount of restraint on his part. He figured his pushing her was part of what had gotten him into this entire mess to begin with, so he knew it was best to just bide his time and wait at least a few days. He planned to call her on Wednesday if she still hadn't gotten in touch with him by that point.

A soft knock on the door caught his attention, his glass hovering in front of his lips for another sip as his gaze darted toward the door. He frowned, checking his watch for good measure. It was after ten o'clock; who in the hell would be visiting him at this hour on a Sunday night? Unless….

His heart jumped into his throat as he leaned forward to calmly set his glass on the wrought iron coffee table. There was a good chance that was Kagome, and if his instincts had any validity to them—something he was beginning to doubt as of late—this was not going to be a social visit. Something was irking him; her behavior lately had been far too strange for his liking, and he had a not-so-funny feeling that fucking half-breed was the cause of it. He clenched his fists as he rose from the couch, his socked feet whispering across the hardwood floor as he slowly made his way toward the foyer, feeling as if he were walking to his execution.

Sniffing the air as he approached the door, he confirmed his suspicions: that was definitely Kagome waiting on the other side.

`Please… don't do this.'

Throwing the deadbolt, he slowly turned the knob and opened the door, letting his eyes fall to the raven-haired beauty standing on his covered front porch. The air whooshed out of his lungs as he admired her glowing skin in the moonlight, her shoulders bare save the green and white tank she wore, her long legs stemming from her shorts tan from hours in the sun. Her scent was sweet and pure, and he subtly leaned forward to breathe it in as if it were his last chance to do so. She was so beautiful, and he was so, so in love with her….

“Hi, Kouga,” she began, the fear dripping from her voice as she tangled her fingers together in front of her. “Can I come in?”