InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Strings and Kevlar ❯ Pure ( Chapter 16 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Selina MacCloveror 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst / Psychological / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 01.22.2016 | Updated On: 01.22.2016 | Pages: 16 | Words: 10.3K | Visits: 572 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst / Psychological / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 01.22.2016 | Updated On: 01.22.2016 | Pages: 16 | Words: 10.3K | Visits: 572 | Status: Work In Progress
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha.
***
Looking into the mirror on her dresser, Kagome
smiled as she ran a brush through her freshly dried hair. It had
been a long, draining week full of classes, lessons, and
rehearsals, and she had been looking forward to this night--Friday
night. Tonight, she was going on a date with Inuyasha, and not for
the first time, she found herself giddy as thoughts of the hanyou
filled her mind.
Setting down her brush, Kagome glanced at the clock on her bedside table. He was supposed to be picking her up in about twenty minutes, which left her far too much time to ponder the possibilities that an evening spent with the cocky hanyou percussionist might entail. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest, and she looked back into the brown eyes in the mirror and watched them sparkle. Oh, it was definite; she'd been wanting this night to come for far too long, for much longer than she should have.
And that's when the ugly reminder of some of the preceding events leading up to this night popped back into her brain, and she couldn't help the frown that turned her lips down as her good mood took a nosedive.
`No. No, no, no!' Kagome raised her chin and glared at herself in the mirror, determined to cut off that line of thought before it had time to simmer. Kouga was so not on the agenda tonight. Tonight was all about… about….
She watched the pink dust across her cheeks, and her smile slowly returned. Tonight was all about having fun with Inuyasha, and there was just no room in that schedule for anything having to do with Kouga, not even the guilt she was still feeling from Sunday night. No, Inuyasha deserved better than that, and so did she.
Feeling settled, Kagome turned toward her closet and started rummaging through its contents in search of her favorite blue shirt with white flowers. Finally finding the elusive top, she had just pulled it over her head when her bedroom door opened, showing a perturbed Sango with her arms crossed over her chest. Kagome frowned, immediately knowing she was in for some hell, and snatched a pair of denims off their hanger. “What's wrong?” she asked, shimmying into her jeans.
“Are you sure you should be doing this?” Sango asked without preamble.
“Doing what?” she replied. She gave her cousin a side eye as she walked back to her dresser.
“Going out with Inuyasha before getting things settled with Kouga. Don't you think you're moving a little too fast?” Sango asked, pushing the door open completely to step into the room.
Kagome sighed as she reached for her mascara. “Fast? First of all, I broke up with Kouga almost a week ago, and it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, or have you forgotten that?”
“That's not what I meant and you know it, Kagome!”
“Ouch!” she yelped, stabbing herself in the eye when she jerked at Sango's shrieking. She turned her good eye angrily onto her cousin. “Fuck, Sango! Give me a break!” Squeezing her eye shut as it watered, she reached for a tissue.
“No, you give me a break! Have you forgotten what he said to you that night? Because I sure as hell haven't! Kagome, until he understands where you two are, it is a really, really bad idea to see someone else! You're moving way too fast!”
Kagome simmered quietly, dabbing at her injured eye, but she could hear the voice in her head saying that it agreed with her cousin. Kouga had been so hurt because of what she'd done, and then she had just left him on the doorstep without confirming or denying the last thing he'd said to her, fleeing shamelessly because of her own weakness.
Sango sighed and shook her head. “Trust me, Kagome,” she reasoned, her voice a little lower. “You don't want to leave this the way it is, or it will only create more drama for you. You need to settle up this misunderstanding with Kouga before you get too serious with Inuyasha, for your own sake. I know what you're thinking; you still feel trapped with Kouga because of what he said. I understand you couldn't deal with it that night, but you're going to have to deal with it eventually. It's the only way you'll be able to see Inuyasha with no guilt.” Sango took a few steps toward her and put her hands on her shoulders supportively, meeting her reflection in the dresser mirror. “Plus, who knows what that jerk will do if he finds out about tonight, and you definitely don't want to have the same kind of regrets with Kouga as you have with Hojo if he does something stupid.”
Kagome shivered as a chill settled on her skin, only warmed by Sango's comforting hold on her shoulders. Why did she have to bring that up? Blinking back the tears suddenly stinging her eyes, she shook her head and looked away from her cousin's reflection. “Sango, I really don't think Kouga is that disturbed. I'm not worried about what he'll do, and besides, it's most definitely over. I have a clear conscience,” she lied.
Sango looked at her in disbelief. “Come on, Kagome. You don't really believe that, do you?”
Instead of answering, Kagome threw her tissue in the nearby garbage can and stepped away from Sango's reach to reapply her mascara, refusing to meet her cousin's eyes in her mirror.
“Dammit!” the percussionist snapped, not surprising Kagome in the least. “You are so stubborn! You have no business going out with Inuyasha tonight and you know it! You're going to fuck this up by going out with him now before finishing things off with Kouga for good, and I swear, I'll be right fucking there to tell you `I told you so' when you do!”
Having heard enough of Sango's temper tantrum, Kagome slammed her mascara down on her dresser with enough force to cause a picture of the two of them to stagger and fall to the carpeted floor with a thud, going unnoticed by both girls. Kagome pushed past her cousin into the hallway, making tracks for a quick escape.
“Oh, so now you're mad at me,” Sango nagged, following her like a predator into the front room. “Well that fucking figures, doesn't it! You just hate hearing the truth, Kagome, and I'm sorry, but you're acting like a child about this whole thing. You can't tell me you don't feel a little guilty about going out with Inuyasha tonight while you still feel tied to Kouga and expect me to believe it!”
Ignoring her cousin, Kagome kept her eyes down as she hastily grabbed her purse off the table and slipped into the sandals that were by the front door. She didn't need this, and she certainly wasn't about to launch into a bitchy tirade with her right now. Shouldering her purse, she grabbed the door handle to escape Sango's tyranny, only to have the door held shut with a hard slam of her cousin's hand to the wood. Gasping in surprise at the drastic show of dominance, Kagome turned wide eyes onto her, ready to go against everything she had just been thinking about not lashing out at her and just let her have it. But though she had been expecting to see anger, she was even more shocked when she instead saw the intense worry in Sango's light brown eyes, and Kagome once again found herself fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her own. Was she going to apologize?
“Kagome,” she said in a much softer voice, “just think about this. You're setting yourself up to get hurt again, and I --”
“Move,” Kagome interrupted in a low but demanding tone, mentally shaking her head in disbelief. She stared into Sango's eyes and watched as the classic Higurashi temper flared back up, leaving no room for the softness that had been there a second before.
“Fine.” Sango stepped away from the door, allowing Kagome to open it and storm outside. “Have a great night, Kagome. Don't come crying to me when this shit blows up in your face,” she called in a broken voice, punctuating her speech by slamming the door between them.
Refusing to lose any more dignity over this, Kagome waited until she had descended the steps in front of their apartment and made it to the shade of the magnolia tree beside the building to let the hot tears leak from her eyes. Sure that she was out of sight of their apartment windows, she leaned against the old tree and brought her hands to her face, crying silently over her cousin's hurtful words. But was she right? Was Kagome about to sabotage any chance of a relationship with Inuyasha because she was acting too soon? Was she really setting herself up for another traumatic experience just because she was too impatient to hold off seeing the hanyou who had so completely captured her heart? She didn't think so, but she had been wrong before, especially when it came to Kouga.
She sniffled and glanced at her watch, having to blink a few times to clear her blurry vision. Inuyasha would be here any minute, and he would undoubtedly be able to tell she had been crying if she didn't straighten up soon. Now obviously wasn't the time to think about these things; hadn't she resolved just twenty minutes earlier that she and Inuyasha both deserved a night without all of this Kouga drama?
Ignoring that damn voice in her head telling her she had been putting too many things off lately to “think about later,” she hurriedly wiped her cheeks, wishing for some water to splash on her face to relieve some of the puffiness that was surely under her eyes now, but she wasn't about to go back into the apartment while Sango was still inside, probably crying as well. Doing her best to pull herself together, Kagome took a deep breath and let it out, hoping all of the tension from the fight with her cousin would be expelled along with her breath. She looked down at the soft grass beneath the tree in an effort to distract herself further and kicked off one of her shoes, brushing her foot over the green turf. She sighed at how nice the grass felt between her toes, smiling a little as some of the blades tickled the bottom of her foot, and marveled at how the simplest things could cheer a person up. Simple things, like kisses on a moonlit balcony, or being walked to her door at the end of the night, or puppy ears….
The familiar hum of a Benz reached her ears, and Kagome's smile instantly brightened as she looked up to see the approach of her date, the last of her anxiety melting away instantly. Catching his eyes as he pulled into a parking spot, she waved and slipped her shoe back on before walking toward the car, loving how Inuyasha's smile reached his sunny eyes when he looked at her.
He quickly exited the car and trotted up to meet her halfway, holding one hand behind his back. Wearing loose-fitting jeans and a gold LSU t-shirt, Inuyasha looked every bit the laid-back college guy he was, and Kagome felt herself smiling even more. It was a far cry from Kouga's pretentious button-down shirts and pleated slacks he always wore when taking her out, and though she mentally chastised herself for comparing the two, she couldn't help but once again acknowledge how much more she had in common with the hanyou than with the youkai, even when it came down to simple tastes in clothing. It would be nice to be able to relax and be herself on a date for a change.
When they finally reached each other, Kagome was about to ask what he was hiding behind his back when he presented her with a single white carnation. Her mouth opened in surprise even as her smile grew impossibly wider, and she looked back up into his eyes to see him blushing as he held out his offering. Thinking him far too adorable for words, she smirked and accepted the flower, bringing it to her nose to sample its sweet fragrance. “A little corny, don't you think?” she teased.
Inuyasha chuckled and nodded as if he were expecting her to say that. “Then you're even cornier for smelling it,” he shot back, reaching for her hand with a grin.
Kagome rolled her eyes lightheartedly but couldn't help but smile as she shyly took his hand, letting him walk her toward the car. She peeked at him as they walked, catching him smiling at her, and felt her heart flutter in her chest as his fingers toyed with hers. `Flirt,' she accused herself, feeling no remorse whatsoever.
They reached the passenger door of his car, and he opened it so she could get in. As she settled into her seat and waited for Inuyasha to walk back around, she thought her face was going to split in two from all of this smiling. At the very least, her jaw would be aching by the end of the night, though she didn't think that too bad of a punishment given the cause of her smiles.
Inuyasha got in and revved the car back to life, the roar of the engine vibrating Kagome's seat slightly. She gasped a little as the buzz touched her in interesting places and looked to her left, blushing profusely as Inuyasha smirked, obviously well aware of what he had just done. She narrowed her eyes at him and was about to give a flippant remark when he held a hand up in silent apology. “Hungry?” he asked.
Kagome shook her head, letting his prank go for now. “Very,” she replied, giving him another smile.
He grinned. “Then let's go! I hope you like seafood.” And with that, he backed out of the space and proceeded toward their destination, which Kagome was sincerely hoping was not Chimes.
As Inuyasha drove them through the streets of downtown Baton Rouge, Kagome brought the carnation to her nose again, closing her eyes and wondering again about all of the simple things in life that made her happy. Simple things, like white carnations on a first date.
***
It ended up being about a ten-minute drive across the bridge to Parrain's, a rustic place set back off of Perkins Road. It had received a glowing review from Miroku when Inuyasha had asked him to recommend a place to take Kagome, and from the decadent smell of the fresh chargrilled oysters floating on the breeze, he knew he had made the right decision.
Kagome's face had lit up when they walked in, and he was happy to have made her smile again. He had smelled the unmistakable scent of salt on her when he picked her up at her apartment earlier, and while he didn't ask what she was upset about, he had a pretty good idea: Kouga. Hell, it was always about that fucking wolf! What had that piece of shit done to upset her now? He still hadn't forgotten about how he had scratched Kagome's hand; yes, that would most definitely be dealt with the first chance he got. But if he had done something else to hurt her again, so help him, that fucker's blood was going to paint the streets.
Blinking out of his daydream of slicing the wolf up like a Christmas ham, Inuyasha picked up his beer glass and swirled its amber contents. “So you moved here after high school,” he said, continuing their light dinner conversation as he watched her finish off her étouffée. “You like it here?”
She nodded as she chewed, reaching for her own beer. “Yeah, it's nice,” she eventually said, pausing to take a sip. “It took me a little while to get used to how familiar people are, but I kinda like it now. People genuinely care. For the most part, anyway,” she added and shrugged, glancing at the other patrons around them. It was a lively crowd tonight, but the atmosphere was comfortable and warm.
He nodded thoughtfully, his ears picking up the Cajun music just over the din of the dining room. “I think I like it, too,” he admitted, looking down at his empty plate. “The food's pretty good, anyway.”
She laughed, pointing at his midsection with her glass. “Better be careful, or you'll get fat,” she teased.
“Oi, watch it, woman! I take pretty good care of myself, you know,” he said, smiling in spite of himself.
“Yeah, I know,” she replied, and then eyes widened, as if she hadn't meant to say that.
His chest puffed a little as he caught her confession, and he watched the blush spread across her cheeks. He sat back in his seat a little, enjoying her embarrassment a little more than he should have, and briefly considered continuing that line of conversation just to get a rise out of her. Deciding at the last minute to take pity on her, he forewent a teasing session and nodded toward her plate. “That stuff looked good. What was it again?”
“Crawfish étouffée.” She looked relieved, and he congratulated himself on resisting the urge to torment her. “And it was delicious. A little hotter than I've had it before, but still very good. Do you like spicy food?”
“A little. There have been a few things I've eaten here that I thought was going to light my face on fire, so I've started asking first,” he admitted, enjoying her answering giggle. “I don't get why people want to burn their mouths and then talk about how great it is.”
“Sometimes, it's so good that you put up with the burn,” she explained. “I had some crawfish fettuccine my freshmen year that someone made at a party, and it was so hot that I almost couldn't stand it, but it was so good that I couldn't stop eating it.” She smiled at the memory as she folded her napkin on the table. “It builds your tolerance.”
He snorted. “It also qualifies you for admission to the psychiatric ward, but whatever.”
She laughed again, and he smiled, loving the sound. She looked so relaxed and happy, at peace with herself, and he hoped beyond hope that he had something to do with her mood. She was a woman with baggage--he'd known that from early on--but she deserved some happiness, and he liked believing he could give it to her. Not to mention the way his stomach flipped when her smile lit up her eyes like two dark stones catching the light.
“You're gorgeous,” he said without thinking.
Kagome's laughter died, her mouth opening slightly as if she were about to say something, but no words came. Her cheeks darkened in the ensuing silence before she finally settled on a response. “Th-thank you,” she stammered, her blush intensifying.
Inuyasha let out the breath he was holding, postponing his epic mental self-beatdown for a later time. “Don't tell me you've never heard that before,” he asked incredulously, cocking an eyebrow.
Her eyes dropped in embarrassment as she fiddled with her fork. “Yeah, I guess, but….” She peeked up at him, a half smile on her lips. “It feels different now… with you.”
`Because she's actually interested in me,' he realized, his chest swelling once again. `Keh! Take that, Wolf-Shit! Poor fucker never had a chance.' “Well, it's true,” he said, raising his beer glass to her in a toast even as he felt his own face heat up. “I meant it the first time I said it, and I mean it now.”
She laughed a little, finally getting the courage to face him fully again. “The first time, I figured you were hedging your bet to make sure I'd kiss you.”
His glass froze in mid-air. “Oi, I kissed you,” he emphasized, his emotions stirring at the memory. “Or did you forget?”
Her eyes darkened in a way that made certain parts of him take notice. “No, I definitely remember,” she assured him softly, smiling.
`And I'll never forget it,' he found himself thinking as he finished his beer.
The server arrived then to clear their plates and ask about dessert. On his recommendation, they decided to split the white chocolate bread pudding, which arrived shortly thereafter with two coffees. Inuyasha entertained Kagome's silly inquiry about dogs and chocolate with grace, and she offered to find an Epipen if he began to have a reaction. He smiled indulgently and decided the next chance he got to tease her, this time he would take it.
They lingered over their coffee as the cafe lights came on, setting them in a soft glow. Her cheeks were pink from laughing, and as he watched her shake her head and smile at his most recent joke, he realized how genuinely happy he was at the moment. `It's been a while,' he mused, taking another sip of his coffee.
Kagome ran her finger through the chocolate drizzle on the plate and popped it in her mouth. He followed the movement with eyes that were hungry for more than the dessert. “Mmm, that was awesome,” she said, sighing happily. “I've always heard about this place, but I've never had the chance to actually come here.”
He cleared his throat to shake some particularly steamy images from his mind, swallowing thickly. “Uh, yeah. It was really good.” He winced mentally. `Real smooth, Taisho! Get it together!'
She lazily twirled her cup, looking perfectly content. “So I remember you saying you're from Tokyo. Do you miss home?”
Inuyasha's good mood dipped as his father came to mind, and he looked down at his coffee, wondering how to answer that. How much did he want to burden her with? He breathed out slowly through his nose, then shrugged. “Not especially,” he said, hesitating on what to say next. “I left to get away from some shit, so…” He ground his teeth as the image of his father's headstone came to mind. “No. I don't really miss it.”
She frowned a little, appearing sympathetic. “I'm sorry, I didn't know. I might understand how you feel, though. I left for similar reasons,” she said quietly.
He looked at her again, his ear twitching. “Yeah, I know.”
She didn't look particularly surprised. “Miroku?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, “but only because he cares about you. He didn't want me…” He paused again, suddenly feeling a little sheepish. “He didn't want me to fuck with you anymore, and so he told me why.”
She nodded and looked down at her hands as they played with her coffee cup, her eyes lost in old pain. It was a moment before she spoke again, but it was with a small smile. “I don't mind that he told you.”
“Really?” he asked, a bit surprised.
“Maybe a little at first,” she admitted. “But I understand why he did. It's just not something that I want a lot of people to know about. I don't need….” She drifted off, her chin quivering a little as her eyes dropped again.
He reached across the table for her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “It's okay. I'm not going to tell anybody.” He sighed as she nodded, her lips tight. How in the hell did they get on this topic? He looked down at their joined hands and saw the faint pink lines marring the skin on the back of her left hand: the healing scratches left by a cocksucking motherfucker who still needed to be dealt with. His chest burned with quick anger, and he had to force himself to put those thoughts away. Another bad subject that had no business being brought up on a first date.
She must have noticed his line of sight and picked up on his thoughts because she covered his hand with her other, catching his eyes. She didn't say anything, but her face pleaded with him to let it go. `Feh. Fat chance of that happening,' he thought, but he nodded for her sake, even managing a calm smile. `Not now,' he agreed, noting her relieved grin. `But soon.'
Kagome took a deep breath and let it out, releasing his hands to tuck her hair behind her ears, and looked around. “They must be getting ready to close,” she observed, changing the subject.
Surprised, he glanced around as well, noticing most of the tables around them were now empty. “Yeah, they cleared out, didn't they?” He hadn't even noticed people leaving, which was unusual for him. Sure enough, the server arrived with the bill, and he looked at his watch as he pulled out his wallet, seeing it was just a little after ten. “Looks like we're getting kicked out,” he joked after the server left with his AMEX. “It's still a little early. Want to go down to the lakes and walk this food off?”
She smiled. “That sounds nice, but it's going to be pretty dark. Are you sure it's safe?”
Protect her.
“You probably know better than me if it's safe or not,” he admitted, quieting his instincts. “If you're not comfortable doing that, we can just go hit a bar or something.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, I'm not in the mood for that.” She paused a moment and smiled again. “I have a better idea. I know where we can go,” she said and tipped her cup up to finish her coffee.
He nodded and accepted the receipt from their server, wondering about her twinkling eyes as he scribbled his signature. He felt excited and he wasn't sure why. “Let's do it then,” he said, standing with her. He was pocketing his wallet when she shyly took his free hand, and he looked down at her pink cheeks and pretty smile, his heart skipping again.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said, squeezing his fingers meaningfully.
He smiled broadly. “Thank you for finally saying yes,” he said quietly, and was rewarded with a soft kiss from Kagome and at least three hoots from the kitchen.
***
“No, park at the Percussion Annex. We'll have to walk from there.”
“Where are we going?”
“You'll see. Just go to the Annex.”
“I'm not trying to get towed, wench.”
“Don't worry; people park overnight there all the time. Security overlooks it because students are sometimes there practicing at night.”
Inuyasha was unconvinced, but he followed her directions anyway and pulled into a spot close to the building. He saw two other cars there, so he allowed himself to relax a little. Still, if they came back from wherever they were walking to and his car was gone….
“Trust me,” Kagome insisted, opening her door. “Your precious Mercedes will be fine. Let's go.”
“Keh! Don't make me pack you up and take you to get your own damn car to park here!” he threatened, smiling good-naturedly as he climbed out.
“Shh!” she hissed. “Look, it'll be okay. Just keep your voice down.”
“Fine.” He locked the car and followed her to the sidewalk, noticing she was mostly staying in the shadows of the trees whenever she could. “Where are we going?” he asked again.
“Calm yourself, Taisho,” she teased, reaching for his hand as they briskly made their way across the street. “You'll like it. I hope,” she added quietly.
He squeezed her hand, noticing her blush even in the dim light from the sparse street lights.
After several minutes, he realized they were headed in the direction of the football stadium. `What the hell is she up to?' he wondered, not particularly liking the idea of getting caught for trespassing. Sure enough, he soon saw the looming shadow of Tiger Stadium growing steadily closer, and he almost dug in his heels, but he dampened his anxiety and forced himself to trust her, allowing her to lead him toward the southeast corner of the stadium where the construction zone was still fenced off from finishing the new upper deck in the south endzone.
“Wait,” she whispered, stopping in the shadows of the trees behind the Science Building. They watched as a campus security cruiser inched along Stadium Drive, shining a searchlight in their direction briefly before moving on and scanning further down the road. As soon as the car was a block away, she latched onto his hand again and they darted across the area to where the construction fence ended next to the walkway ramp for the east upper deck. “Hurry!” she said, and pulled back the fence to squeeze through the small gap between it and the concrete slab.
Inuyasha swore under his breath as he wedged his way through as well, then chased her around an idle backhoe toward the pillars under the stands, their feet kicking up tufts of dirt and clay as they ran.
“Keep up with me!” she called, giggling as she weaved her way through the metalwork.
“You're crazy!” he said, hot on her heels.
She slowed to a walk when they reached the relative safety of the darkness under the stadium stands, and brushed her bangs off her forehead. “These used to all be dorms,” she explained, putting her hand on a bare concrete wall as they rounded a corner. She pointed out the old windows in the walls high above them, many of them broken. “See? They built the dorms right under the stands. How would you have liked to live here, inside the stadium during football season?”
He smiled at her excitement, watching her face as she gave him the impromptu tour. They came to another concrete wall, and he watched, baffled, as she quickly scaled the eight-foot obstacle in her sandals, using the protruding rebars as support. Realizing he just missed out on an opportunity to give her a boost, he waited until she was standing again on the platform above him, then easily made the jump, gracefully pulling himself to standing where she was. He looked around as he got his feet under him, and even in the low light he could see they were now on the steps to go up to the middle deck. He looked at her, awestruck. “How the hell do you know about this?” he asked.
She grinned impishly. “Miroku,” she simply said, and took his hand again to lead him down the steps.
He shook his head and trotted ahead of her. “Can you even see?” he asked, slowing her down. “Let me go first so you don't fall and break your neck.” He heard her huff impatiently behind him and grinned, slowly making his way down toward the ground level. When they reached the breezeway at the bottom, she took the lead again and pulled him behind one of the concession stands, where there was a conveniently unlocked door leading to a storage area and another breezeway, and suddenly they were in a tunnel. It was even darker here, and he reached for his phone to turn on his flashlight.
“Don't!” she hissed, stilling his hand on his hip. He held his breath at the contact. “Security comes through here every once in a while. Just keep your voice down,” she said again and pulled him toward the end of the tunnel.
He could smell the grass of the field as they came out of the opening, and his breath left him as he looked up and beheld Tiger Stadium by moonlight. The crescent moon spilled just enough light on the field to let them see where they were, the dew sparkling faintly on the manicured turf, making the grass look like it was covered in diamonds. The goal posts stood tall in each endzone, silent sentinels over the stretching field. All was eerily quiet other than the crickets, and he turned around in a full circle to take it all in, never letting go of her hand. “It's huge,” he said, eyeing the dark, empty stands towering over them ominously.
“Is this your first time here?” she asked.
“They brought us here during orientation,” he said, looking up at the looming scoreboard emblazoned with “WELCOME TO DEATH VALLEY” across the top as he thought back to the tour he had to take with the freshmen and other transfers. “But it was daytime. It wasn't like this.”
She pointed to the tunnel they had just come through. “This is the visiting team entrance. Before the game, the handlers park Mike the Tiger in his cage right there, and the visiting players have to run right by him when they come on the field.” She smiled, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “They pretend not to care, but you know they have to be a little nervous, even if he is caged.”
Inuyasha nodded, imagining the great Bengal tiger just right there and having to pass him. “I bet they run pretty fast,” he muttered.
Suddenly she was gone, and he whirled around to see her dashing across the dark field, giggling madly with her hair whipping behind her. He grinned and waited a few seconds to give her a sporting chance, then took off after her. He easily caught her around the fifty yard line and scooped her up, flattening his ears when she yelped her surprise. He made it across the rest of the field with three long leaps and landed in the endzone, watching her laugh as she brushed her hair out of her face. “That's a touchdown,” he declared, setting her on her feet next to the goal post. “Six points, right?”
She smiled up at him and leaned back against the giant yellow post, her eyes catching the moonlight. “Are we keeping score?” she asked breathlessly, tucking a final loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Something stirred inside him at her words, and he took a moment to just look at her. Leaning against the goal post, bathed in the light of the moon, she looked like an offering to the gods; something that wasn't meant for the likes of him, a mere mortal. She was a gift, if he would just reach out and accept it. His skin tingled at the thought of touching her again.
Breathing deeply of the warm night air, he stepped forward and closed the gap between them, placing one clawed hand on her hip and gripping the post above her head with the other. He dropped his head to breathe her in, shuddering as her scent wrapped around him like a blanket. “You're trouble,” he decided, growling into her ear.
Kagome hummed, tipping her head back to look into his eyes. “And you're not?” she asked, smirking knowingly at him as she rested her hands on his shoulders.
“You'll find out,” he promised, dipping his head to taste those sweet lips again.
A flashlight beam suddenly waved in their direction from the home tunnel. “Hey! Who's there?!” a man shouted.
“Shit!” Inuyasha cursed, cutting off the urge to maul the security guard who interrupted their moment. He grabbed her and bodily swung her onto his back in half a heartbeat. “Hang on!” he told her as he grasped her thighs, and took off at a dead sprint, leaving only dust and Kagome's surprised shrieks echoing in their wake.
***
Miroku frowned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees on the couch in his dorm room. “I can't believe you said that to her.”
Sango scowled and took another sip of her beer, her fifth for the evening. “Miroku, you don't understand. I know her. If she doesn't make things perfectly clear with Kouga soon, she's going to start feeling guilty about doing anything with Inuyasha. And that's not even considering what Kouga will do if he finds out she's hanging with Inuyasha while she's still his, at least as far as he thinks.” She sneered and balanced the beer bottle on the arm of the couch, glaring at it as if it were the cause of her distress. “She's going to get hurt again.”
“If you really think that, then do what you can to warn her,” Miroku argued calmly, his voice still hinting of his disappointment. “But in the end, you have to let her make her own decisions. You're not her mother.”
“Her mother would agree with me!” she cried, her arm flying and knocking the bottle to the floor, sending lukewarm suds everywhere. “I'm just looking out for her! For God's sake, someone needs to!”
Miroku sighed and stood, grabbing a nearby towel off the back of his desk chair and dropping it onto the spilled beer. “My love, you're not looking out for her. You're trying to shield her, and the way you're going about it is pushing her away. From what you both have told me, that sounds exactly like what her mother would do. Do you want her to run away from you, too?”
“Kagome can't just run away from everyone who loves her!” Tears started welling up in those gorgeous brown eyes Miroku loved so much, and he cringed at the sight. “She's not a fucking child!”
“Then you have to stop treating her like one,” he insisted, sitting beside her again and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “If I know Kagome, then she probably agrees with you but is too stubborn to admit it. You're right to tell her if you're worried, but you can't tell her you won't be there for her if something goes wrong.” He wiped his thumb across her cheek and shook his head. “She has to know that you'll be there for her when she needs you.”
Sango turned her face away, scowling as tears leaked from her eyes, but said nothing.
“And besides, I still think you're blowing this whole thing with Kouga out of proportion,” he continued. “He's an asshole, but he's not that much of an asshole. I mean, shit, she broke up with him! Plain and simple.” He frowned. “You don't really think he'd do something to hurt her, do you?”
“You heard what she said!” she cried, rising suddenly to her feet. She swayed a little and reached out to the armoire to steady herself. “You heard what he said to her, the way he acted! He knows about what happened with Hojo, and he's using that knowledge to fuck with her! And I guarantee he'll find out about this little date with Inuyasha sooner or later, and when he does, he's going to do something stupid, and I swear to you, Miroku,” she growled through clenched teeth, her free hand curled into a fist, “when he does, I'm going to castrate that fucker and shove his balls down his throat!”
Wincing at that mental image, Miroku took her hand and pulled her back down to the couch. “Well, if he really does try to do something to hurt her, I'm sure Inuyasha will protect her. She'll be fine.”
Sango rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from his to cross her arms. “Please. Don't get me started on him. He doesn't even care about the danger he's putting her in! And I'm still not convinced he has her best intentions in mind. He cares about her on some level, I know, but--”
“`Cares' about her?” Miroku asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Sango, I think he's in love with her.”
She turned toward him, looking worried. “You think so, too?” she asked softly, as if speaking it too loudly would make it true.
He grinned. “I'm almost certain. He hasn't said it yet, at least not to me; I doubt he even realizes it. And don't shit your pants, but I think the feeling is mutual.”
Sango shook her head. “It's so crazy. They only met two weeks ago, and they hated each other!”
“There's a first time for everything, my dear,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him again. “And that so-called `hate?' I think that was just badly-disguised sexual tension running wild.” Looking down, he noticed how fantastic her legs looked in those shorts she was wearing, and he put a hand on her smooth knee.
Sango blushed and looked away. “Yeah…. They were pretty ridiculous.”
“They were.” Her pinked skin amused him, and he leaned in and kissed her neck softly, sliding his fingers to the back of her knee where he knew she was ticklish.
She squirmed a little in resistance, but her eyes fluttered shut. “E-especially Kagome… she was in such… d-denial….”
“Mm-hmm.” His fingers drifted over her soft skin, tickling her just slightly before skimming up the outside of her thigh. He was quickly losing interest in this conversation, and he had every intention of distracting Sango from her cousin and their friend within the next few seconds.
His fingers reached the hem of her shorts, slipping underneath the fabric an inch or two, and her mouth opened slightly, sealing his victory. “Miroku…” she warned half-heartedly.
“Yes, my love?” he asked innocently, tracing his tongue on the shell of her ear.
“Um….” Sango's head tipped back, giving him free reign over her throat, which he quickly took advantage of with little licks and soft kisses. “…Never mind.”
`That's what I thought,' he thought smugly as he twisted and laid her on her back, settling himself between her legs as he continued his attentions on her body. `Distraction accomplished.'
***
Inuyasha pulled into a visitor's parking space and cut the engine, turning to look at her again. “Here we are,” he said, his tone unreadable.
Kagome looked up at her apartment building and felt a wave of disappointment that their night was coming to a close. It was by far the most fun she had ever had on a date, and she hated that it had to end. “Yep,” she said, forcing a smile. “Here we are.”
He shifted in his seat a little, glancing around the parking lot and then up at their darkened window. “Sango's car is here, so she must be home.”
She glanced at her watch, seeing it was midnight. Judging by the lack of lights in their windows, it was possible her cousin was in bed, but more likely that she was out with the lecher. “Maybe,” she said indifferently, grabbing her purse and carnation as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Not that she particularly cared where Sango was at the moment, actually.
Inuyasha stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “Maybe?”
“She's probably out with Miroku,” she explained, keeping her voice neutral. “They usually go out on Friday nights before a home game since they won't be able to the next day.”
“So you'll be home alone,” he surmised, his tone dark with disapproval.
It took her a moment before she realized he was worried about Kouga showing up, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. “Inuyasha, I'm perfectly capable of being in an apartment by myself. I'm a big girl now,” she said peevishly.
“I'm going in with you,” he stated resolutely as he opened his door and quickly exited the car.
She got out as well, wondering if he had even heard her. “Inuyasha, I'll be fine,” she insisted again. At his steely glare, she nearly rolled her eyes and moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her hand and hauled her behind him, heading toward her stairs. “Hey!” she yelled, struggling to keep up with his long strides. “Inuyasha, I said I'll be fine! Would you just stop for a second?”
He didn't lose a step, and this time she did roll her eyes. `Over-protective and dominant… yes, Sango, you were definitely spot-on.' The thought of her cousin brought forth a little more emotion than she was willing to express at the moment, so she quickly changed gears once again and focused on the muscular shoulders of the inu hanyou before her as he climbed the stairs in front of her, not to mention a few other assets conveniently on display at her eye level.
`Gah!' She dropped her eyes to the steps beneath her feet, knowing that any arousal that surfaced would be quickly picked up by his oversensitive nose. Fortunately, they had finally reached her door, and he turned and looked at her expectantly, still holding her hand.
Kagome sighed and pulled her hand free to dig her keys out of her purse, only to have them snatched out of her hands when she found them. “Inuyasha!” she chided, reaching around him for her stolen property as he turned and unlocked her door.
“Quiet, wench,” he chided, a hint of teasing in his voice. He opened the door and took her hand again before entering, holding onto her much more tightly this time as he did a quick scan of the front room and kitchen, inhaling deeply.
“Ass,” she muttered, shaking her head as he proceeded to drag her down the short hallway, opening doors as he went. When they reached her room, she dug in her heels. “That's enough!” she demanded, feeling satisfied when he actually stopped and looked at her. “Nobody is here, so just cool your jets and relax!”
He had the good grace to blush through his scowl. “I'm just looking out for you,” he grumped.
“And I appreciate it, but seriously, I'll be fine. It's just the two of us in this apartment. We're all alone,” she argued, realizing what she said just a little too late. Her cheeks warmed, and she promptly shut her mouth.
His eyes changed a little, and even in the relative darkness of the hallway, she recognized that look. It was the same look he'd given her a couple times so far tonight; a look of longing, of seeing an opportunity and deciding whether or not he wanted to take it. She swallowed nervously as her body temperature rose, unsure if she could trust herself to stop him if he decided to make a move... unsure if she would even want to stop him. `What this man does to me,' she wondered dreamily, feeling the need to fan herself.
He blinked then, and his eyes cleared. “Okay,” he finally relented, and paused a moment before tugging her back to the front room.
She followed him, feeling oddly bereft. “Okay,” she agreed, not knowing what else to say, and set her things on the dining room table.
Inuyasha turned to face her again, refusing to let go of her hand. He looked at her for a moment, searching her face for something, though she wasn't sure what. Fighting the urge to shuffle her feet, she had almost wound up the courage to say something when he beat her to it. “Sorry,” he mumbled, squeezing her fingers. “I just wanted to make sure. I just… want you to be safe.”
Kagome's heart warmed at his admission, and she squeezed back, instantly forgiving him. “I know.”
He smiled a little, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “Well.....”
“Well,” she mimicked, smiling as well. “Thank you for tonight. I had fun.”
He looked relieved. “I'm glad. I did, too. We'll have to remember to go back to the stadium when it's dark,” he said leadingly, his smile turning suggestive.
“Maybe,” she teased, blushing despite herself. “But only if you keep your voice down next time.”
“Feh! You were the one who attracted the guard! You and your screaming,” he accused, chuckling.
“Because you scared me!” she said, laughing at the memory.
“Doesn't matter. Your fault.”
“The hell it is!”
He kissed her suddenly, catching her off-guard, and her laughter died a quick death against his lips. Recovering quickly, she wound her arms around his neck and happily lost herself in the feel of his warm, soft mouth moving against her own, coaxing her to join him in his intoxicating dance. His kiss was heavenly and devilish at once, passion and promise, and as she met him head-on with her own urgency, her conscience poked at her annoyingly, whispering that this was not appropriate behavior for a first date. She threaded her fingers through his hair and kicked that thought away.
She felt his hands grip her waist before snaking around to the small of her back, pressing her body into him slowly, gently, but insistently. She surrendered willingly, distantly wondering where she was finding this courage, and stood on her toes to feel more of his hard body against hers. She had never experienced this before, this unbridled desire, not with Kouga, not with anyone, and she realized her defenses were down just as his tongue swiped her lower lip. `He's way too good at this,' she decided, opening her mouth to him.
He groaned as his tongue brushed hers, and she thought she was going to melt. Their tongues twisted around each other languidly, gently exploring and tasting, testing boundaries and giving way. His taste was just like she remembered it that night in New Orleans, a night she revisited more often than was probably healthy. It was sweet and strong, like cafe au lait, but smooth as butter. It was cool like mint, and hot like whiskey, and the more intimate parts of her body took sharp notice of the delicious contrasts. His arms squeezed her body. Her hands grabbed his hair. He sucked on her lip. She nibbled on his. He growled. She moaned.
And a little more restraint drained out of her body.
Inuyasha broke away from her lips to move along her jaw, kissing and licking his way down the column of her throat. She greedily gulped at the air as his wicked mouth stole her breath away. “Inuyasha,” she panted, her eyelids fluttering closed as he hit a sensitive spot on her neck that set all the nerves in her body on fire.
“Mmm?” he hummed, not even pausing in his assault on her skin. His fingers splayed across her back possessively, flexing sporadically.
She swallowed, unsure of what she had wanted to say. “Don't stop,” she heard herself whisper, and couldn't find it within herself to be upset about it.
Suddenly they were moving, and before she even had a chance to open her eyes, her back was pressed into what felt like the couch, and Kagome learned of a new thrill that was threatening to make her come unhinged: the weight of Inuyasha's body on top of hers as he continued his attentions on her neck. She swept his long hair off to the side so she could explore the ridges and planes of his back and shoulders, loving the way he grunted against her skin as she stroked the various muscles she found. Their legs tangled together at the other end of the couch, and she started to consider the idea of opening her legs to him, to feel his hips settle between her thighs. At that thought, everything grew warm south of her waist, and she shuddered deliciously.
But it was then that Inuyasha's mouth drifted slightly lower and crossed the bridge of Kagome's collarbone, and suddenly he froze, his breaths still hot and rushed against her sensitized skin. She noticed his hesitation, and she finally opened her eyes, looking down on the silver head of hair just below her chin. “Inuya--”
“You are,” he interrupted, his voice still raspy but filled with awe as his eyes rose to look into hers. “You… you're a virgin.”
Kagome's jaw dropped. How could he possibly know that?
He swallowed and pulled himself up slightly, his eyes still dark with want. “I told you,” he said, obviously reading her confusion. “I can smell all sorts of things.”
Her eyes went even wider as all the blood drained from her face. Smell? Shit, he could smell that?!
Before Kagome could comprehend this information enough to become completely mortified, Inuyasha suddenly looked toward the door and sighed, a low growl of annoyance vibrating against her chest. She looked in the same direction and, despite not hearing anything, quickly realized what must have upset him. She immediately began squirming to get out from underneath him, and he relented, albeit reluctantly, pushing himself up into a kneeling position on the couch before pulling her up to sit in front of him. She looked into his eyes, seeing the barely-contained desire floating in those gorgeous sunny orbs, and blushed, knowing her own eyes mirrored his.
Gathering her wits, she swung her feet off the couch and stood as she smoothed her hands over her hair, sure that it was a mess, and watched out of the corner of her eye as Inuyasha stood as well. He was straightening his own appearance when the door flew open, revealing Miroku hauling a clearly-intoxicated Sango across the threshold with one of her arms draped over his shoulders. Her head was hanging forward, but her feet were moving to help her boyfriend carry her in, indicating she was at least conscious.
Kagome looked on, noting right away how drunk Sango was, and finally sighed and approached them to help Miroku get her to bed, but he shook his head. “I got her, Kagome. Don't worry, she's fine. She was going to stay over with me, but she just….” He paused, glancing from her to Inuyasha and back again. “She, uh, just wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
She could tell there was more to that story, but figuring now wasn't the best time, she just nodded and let him pass. She did catch the smirk he tossed Inuyasha though, and she rolled her eyes at his unspoken congratulations. `I'll smack the both of them!' she thought half-heartedly.
Turning, she saw Inuyasha scratching the back of his head as he looked at her, his eyes no longer hazy with the unrestrained lust she had seen there just a minute earlier. She sighed, knowing that in a way, she was thankful Miroku and Sango had come at that point. A few moments later, and they might have been caught in a much more compromising position, and while that hadn't seemed like such a horrible idea at the moment, she knew she would have regretted it later if she did it tonight. But now that he knew she was a virgin, she wasn't sure how he felt about having sex with her. Should they talk about it? Perhaps, but not tonight. It was getting late, and she was tired, and the best thing for her right now was probably a cold shower, not a drawn-out discussion about sex.
“Well,” Inuyasha said, taking the few steps it took to reach her. “I guess I should probably go.”
“Yeah.” Kagome sighed, hoping her disappointment wasn't too obvious. “I had a lot of fun tonight,” she said again, smiling a little.
“Yeah.” He held his hand out, and she took it, smiling a little wider. “Me, too.” He pulled her into a warm embrace, kissing her softly once more as he pulled away. “I'll see you at gameday rehearsal tomorrow.”
“Yup.” She squeezed his hand and let it go, knowing if she didn't release him now, she probably never would.
Inuyasha sighed, a hint of frustration on his face, but smiled and went to the door. He opened it, but before walking through it, he stopped, and then looked back at her with an unreadable expression.
“Everything okay?” she asked, frowning.
He grinned. “Everything's fine. I was just thinking how different this is from the last time I walked out this door.” His smile reached his eyes in the way she loved. “How much better it is.” And with that, he turned again and left, closing the door behind him.
And Kagome smiled brighter, thinking herself pretty lucky to have come to her senses with him. She walked to the front window and watched him get into his car and start it up, backing out and driving away into the dark Baton Rouge night. “It is better,” she agreed, her smile a permanent fixture on her face as she locked the door and turned off the lights.
Setting down her brush, Kagome glanced at the clock on her bedside table. He was supposed to be picking her up in about twenty minutes, which left her far too much time to ponder the possibilities that an evening spent with the cocky hanyou percussionist might entail. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest, and she looked back into the brown eyes in the mirror and watched them sparkle. Oh, it was definite; she'd been wanting this night to come for far too long, for much longer than she should have.
And that's when the ugly reminder of some of the preceding events leading up to this night popped back into her brain, and she couldn't help the frown that turned her lips down as her good mood took a nosedive.
`No. No, no, no!' Kagome raised her chin and glared at herself in the mirror, determined to cut off that line of thought before it had time to simmer. Kouga was so not on the agenda tonight. Tonight was all about… about….
She watched the pink dust across her cheeks, and her smile slowly returned. Tonight was all about having fun with Inuyasha, and there was just no room in that schedule for anything having to do with Kouga, not even the guilt she was still feeling from Sunday night. No, Inuyasha deserved better than that, and so did she.
Feeling settled, Kagome turned toward her closet and started rummaging through its contents in search of her favorite blue shirt with white flowers. Finally finding the elusive top, she had just pulled it over her head when her bedroom door opened, showing a perturbed Sango with her arms crossed over her chest. Kagome frowned, immediately knowing she was in for some hell, and snatched a pair of denims off their hanger. “What's wrong?” she asked, shimmying into her jeans.
“Are you sure you should be doing this?” Sango asked without preamble.
“Doing what?” she replied. She gave her cousin a side eye as she walked back to her dresser.
“Going out with Inuyasha before getting things settled with Kouga. Don't you think you're moving a little too fast?” Sango asked, pushing the door open completely to step into the room.
Kagome sighed as she reached for her mascara. “Fast? First of all, I broke up with Kouga almost a week ago, and it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, or have you forgotten that?”
“That's not what I meant and you know it, Kagome!”
“Ouch!” she yelped, stabbing herself in the eye when she jerked at Sango's shrieking. She turned her good eye angrily onto her cousin. “Fuck, Sango! Give me a break!” Squeezing her eye shut as it watered, she reached for a tissue.
“No, you give me a break! Have you forgotten what he said to you that night? Because I sure as hell haven't! Kagome, until he understands where you two are, it is a really, really bad idea to see someone else! You're moving way too fast!”
Kagome simmered quietly, dabbing at her injured eye, but she could hear the voice in her head saying that it agreed with her cousin. Kouga had been so hurt because of what she'd done, and then she had just left him on the doorstep without confirming or denying the last thing he'd said to her, fleeing shamelessly because of her own weakness.
Sango sighed and shook her head. “Trust me, Kagome,” she reasoned, her voice a little lower. “You don't want to leave this the way it is, or it will only create more drama for you. You need to settle up this misunderstanding with Kouga before you get too serious with Inuyasha, for your own sake. I know what you're thinking; you still feel trapped with Kouga because of what he said. I understand you couldn't deal with it that night, but you're going to have to deal with it eventually. It's the only way you'll be able to see Inuyasha with no guilt.” Sango took a few steps toward her and put her hands on her shoulders supportively, meeting her reflection in the dresser mirror. “Plus, who knows what that jerk will do if he finds out about tonight, and you definitely don't want to have the same kind of regrets with Kouga as you have with Hojo if he does something stupid.”
Kagome shivered as a chill settled on her skin, only warmed by Sango's comforting hold on her shoulders. Why did she have to bring that up? Blinking back the tears suddenly stinging her eyes, she shook her head and looked away from her cousin's reflection. “Sango, I really don't think Kouga is that disturbed. I'm not worried about what he'll do, and besides, it's most definitely over. I have a clear conscience,” she lied.
Sango looked at her in disbelief. “Come on, Kagome. You don't really believe that, do you?”
Instead of answering, Kagome threw her tissue in the nearby garbage can and stepped away from Sango's reach to reapply her mascara, refusing to meet her cousin's eyes in her mirror.
“Dammit!” the percussionist snapped, not surprising Kagome in the least. “You are so stubborn! You have no business going out with Inuyasha tonight and you know it! You're going to fuck this up by going out with him now before finishing things off with Kouga for good, and I swear, I'll be right fucking there to tell you `I told you so' when you do!”
Having heard enough of Sango's temper tantrum, Kagome slammed her mascara down on her dresser with enough force to cause a picture of the two of them to stagger and fall to the carpeted floor with a thud, going unnoticed by both girls. Kagome pushed past her cousin into the hallway, making tracks for a quick escape.
“Oh, so now you're mad at me,” Sango nagged, following her like a predator into the front room. “Well that fucking figures, doesn't it! You just hate hearing the truth, Kagome, and I'm sorry, but you're acting like a child about this whole thing. You can't tell me you don't feel a little guilty about going out with Inuyasha tonight while you still feel tied to Kouga and expect me to believe it!”
Ignoring her cousin, Kagome kept her eyes down as she hastily grabbed her purse off the table and slipped into the sandals that were by the front door. She didn't need this, and she certainly wasn't about to launch into a bitchy tirade with her right now. Shouldering her purse, she grabbed the door handle to escape Sango's tyranny, only to have the door held shut with a hard slam of her cousin's hand to the wood. Gasping in surprise at the drastic show of dominance, Kagome turned wide eyes onto her, ready to go against everything she had just been thinking about not lashing out at her and just let her have it. But though she had been expecting to see anger, she was even more shocked when she instead saw the intense worry in Sango's light brown eyes, and Kagome once again found herself fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her own. Was she going to apologize?
“Kagome,” she said in a much softer voice, “just think about this. You're setting yourself up to get hurt again, and I --”
“Move,” Kagome interrupted in a low but demanding tone, mentally shaking her head in disbelief. She stared into Sango's eyes and watched as the classic Higurashi temper flared back up, leaving no room for the softness that had been there a second before.
“Fine.” Sango stepped away from the door, allowing Kagome to open it and storm outside. “Have a great night, Kagome. Don't come crying to me when this shit blows up in your face,” she called in a broken voice, punctuating her speech by slamming the door between them.
Refusing to lose any more dignity over this, Kagome waited until she had descended the steps in front of their apartment and made it to the shade of the magnolia tree beside the building to let the hot tears leak from her eyes. Sure that she was out of sight of their apartment windows, she leaned against the old tree and brought her hands to her face, crying silently over her cousin's hurtful words. But was she right? Was Kagome about to sabotage any chance of a relationship with Inuyasha because she was acting too soon? Was she really setting herself up for another traumatic experience just because she was too impatient to hold off seeing the hanyou who had so completely captured her heart? She didn't think so, but she had been wrong before, especially when it came to Kouga.
She sniffled and glanced at her watch, having to blink a few times to clear her blurry vision. Inuyasha would be here any minute, and he would undoubtedly be able to tell she had been crying if she didn't straighten up soon. Now obviously wasn't the time to think about these things; hadn't she resolved just twenty minutes earlier that she and Inuyasha both deserved a night without all of this Kouga drama?
Ignoring that damn voice in her head telling her she had been putting too many things off lately to “think about later,” she hurriedly wiped her cheeks, wishing for some water to splash on her face to relieve some of the puffiness that was surely under her eyes now, but she wasn't about to go back into the apartment while Sango was still inside, probably crying as well. Doing her best to pull herself together, Kagome took a deep breath and let it out, hoping all of the tension from the fight with her cousin would be expelled along with her breath. She looked down at the soft grass beneath the tree in an effort to distract herself further and kicked off one of her shoes, brushing her foot over the green turf. She sighed at how nice the grass felt between her toes, smiling a little as some of the blades tickled the bottom of her foot, and marveled at how the simplest things could cheer a person up. Simple things, like kisses on a moonlit balcony, or being walked to her door at the end of the night, or puppy ears….
The familiar hum of a Benz reached her ears, and Kagome's smile instantly brightened as she looked up to see the approach of her date, the last of her anxiety melting away instantly. Catching his eyes as he pulled into a parking spot, she waved and slipped her shoe back on before walking toward the car, loving how Inuyasha's smile reached his sunny eyes when he looked at her.
He quickly exited the car and trotted up to meet her halfway, holding one hand behind his back. Wearing loose-fitting jeans and a gold LSU t-shirt, Inuyasha looked every bit the laid-back college guy he was, and Kagome felt herself smiling even more. It was a far cry from Kouga's pretentious button-down shirts and pleated slacks he always wore when taking her out, and though she mentally chastised herself for comparing the two, she couldn't help but once again acknowledge how much more she had in common with the hanyou than with the youkai, even when it came down to simple tastes in clothing. It would be nice to be able to relax and be herself on a date for a change.
When they finally reached each other, Kagome was about to ask what he was hiding behind his back when he presented her with a single white carnation. Her mouth opened in surprise even as her smile grew impossibly wider, and she looked back up into his eyes to see him blushing as he held out his offering. Thinking him far too adorable for words, she smirked and accepted the flower, bringing it to her nose to sample its sweet fragrance. “A little corny, don't you think?” she teased.
Inuyasha chuckled and nodded as if he were expecting her to say that. “Then you're even cornier for smelling it,” he shot back, reaching for her hand with a grin.
Kagome rolled her eyes lightheartedly but couldn't help but smile as she shyly took his hand, letting him walk her toward the car. She peeked at him as they walked, catching him smiling at her, and felt her heart flutter in her chest as his fingers toyed with hers. `Flirt,' she accused herself, feeling no remorse whatsoever.
They reached the passenger door of his car, and he opened it so she could get in. As she settled into her seat and waited for Inuyasha to walk back around, she thought her face was going to split in two from all of this smiling. At the very least, her jaw would be aching by the end of the night, though she didn't think that too bad of a punishment given the cause of her smiles.
Inuyasha got in and revved the car back to life, the roar of the engine vibrating Kagome's seat slightly. She gasped a little as the buzz touched her in interesting places and looked to her left, blushing profusely as Inuyasha smirked, obviously well aware of what he had just done. She narrowed her eyes at him and was about to give a flippant remark when he held a hand up in silent apology. “Hungry?” he asked.
Kagome shook her head, letting his prank go for now. “Very,” she replied, giving him another smile.
He grinned. “Then let's go! I hope you like seafood.” And with that, he backed out of the space and proceeded toward their destination, which Kagome was sincerely hoping was not Chimes.
As Inuyasha drove them through the streets of downtown Baton Rouge, Kagome brought the carnation to her nose again, closing her eyes and wondering again about all of the simple things in life that made her happy. Simple things, like white carnations on a first date.
***
It ended up being about a ten-minute drive across the bridge to Parrain's, a rustic place set back off of Perkins Road. It had received a glowing review from Miroku when Inuyasha had asked him to recommend a place to take Kagome, and from the decadent smell of the fresh chargrilled oysters floating on the breeze, he knew he had made the right decision.
Kagome's face had lit up when they walked in, and he was happy to have made her smile again. He had smelled the unmistakable scent of salt on her when he picked her up at her apartment earlier, and while he didn't ask what she was upset about, he had a pretty good idea: Kouga. Hell, it was always about that fucking wolf! What had that piece of shit done to upset her now? He still hadn't forgotten about how he had scratched Kagome's hand; yes, that would most definitely be dealt with the first chance he got. But if he had done something else to hurt her again, so help him, that fucker's blood was going to paint the streets.
Blinking out of his daydream of slicing the wolf up like a Christmas ham, Inuyasha picked up his beer glass and swirled its amber contents. “So you moved here after high school,” he said, continuing their light dinner conversation as he watched her finish off her étouffée. “You like it here?”
She nodded as she chewed, reaching for her own beer. “Yeah, it's nice,” she eventually said, pausing to take a sip. “It took me a little while to get used to how familiar people are, but I kinda like it now. People genuinely care. For the most part, anyway,” she added and shrugged, glancing at the other patrons around them. It was a lively crowd tonight, but the atmosphere was comfortable and warm.
He nodded thoughtfully, his ears picking up the Cajun music just over the din of the dining room. “I think I like it, too,” he admitted, looking down at his empty plate. “The food's pretty good, anyway.”
She laughed, pointing at his midsection with her glass. “Better be careful, or you'll get fat,” she teased.
“Oi, watch it, woman! I take pretty good care of myself, you know,” he said, smiling in spite of himself.
“Yeah, I know,” she replied, and then eyes widened, as if she hadn't meant to say that.
His chest puffed a little as he caught her confession, and he watched the blush spread across her cheeks. He sat back in his seat a little, enjoying her embarrassment a little more than he should have, and briefly considered continuing that line of conversation just to get a rise out of her. Deciding at the last minute to take pity on her, he forewent a teasing session and nodded toward her plate. “That stuff looked good. What was it again?”
“Crawfish étouffée.” She looked relieved, and he congratulated himself on resisting the urge to torment her. “And it was delicious. A little hotter than I've had it before, but still very good. Do you like spicy food?”
“A little. There have been a few things I've eaten here that I thought was going to light my face on fire, so I've started asking first,” he admitted, enjoying her answering giggle. “I don't get why people want to burn their mouths and then talk about how great it is.”
“Sometimes, it's so good that you put up with the burn,” she explained. “I had some crawfish fettuccine my freshmen year that someone made at a party, and it was so hot that I almost couldn't stand it, but it was so good that I couldn't stop eating it.” She smiled at the memory as she folded her napkin on the table. “It builds your tolerance.”
He snorted. “It also qualifies you for admission to the psychiatric ward, but whatever.”
She laughed again, and he smiled, loving the sound. She looked so relaxed and happy, at peace with herself, and he hoped beyond hope that he had something to do with her mood. She was a woman with baggage--he'd known that from early on--but she deserved some happiness, and he liked believing he could give it to her. Not to mention the way his stomach flipped when her smile lit up her eyes like two dark stones catching the light.
“You're gorgeous,” he said without thinking.
Kagome's laughter died, her mouth opening slightly as if she were about to say something, but no words came. Her cheeks darkened in the ensuing silence before she finally settled on a response. “Th-thank you,” she stammered, her blush intensifying.
Inuyasha let out the breath he was holding, postponing his epic mental self-beatdown for a later time. “Don't tell me you've never heard that before,” he asked incredulously, cocking an eyebrow.
Her eyes dropped in embarrassment as she fiddled with her fork. “Yeah, I guess, but….” She peeked up at him, a half smile on her lips. “It feels different now… with you.”
`Because she's actually interested in me,' he realized, his chest swelling once again. `Keh! Take that, Wolf-Shit! Poor fucker never had a chance.' “Well, it's true,” he said, raising his beer glass to her in a toast even as he felt his own face heat up. “I meant it the first time I said it, and I mean it now.”
She laughed a little, finally getting the courage to face him fully again. “The first time, I figured you were hedging your bet to make sure I'd kiss you.”
His glass froze in mid-air. “Oi, I kissed you,” he emphasized, his emotions stirring at the memory. “Or did you forget?”
Her eyes darkened in a way that made certain parts of him take notice. “No, I definitely remember,” she assured him softly, smiling.
`And I'll never forget it,' he found himself thinking as he finished his beer.
The server arrived then to clear their plates and ask about dessert. On his recommendation, they decided to split the white chocolate bread pudding, which arrived shortly thereafter with two coffees. Inuyasha entertained Kagome's silly inquiry about dogs and chocolate with grace, and she offered to find an Epipen if he began to have a reaction. He smiled indulgently and decided the next chance he got to tease her, this time he would take it.
They lingered over their coffee as the cafe lights came on, setting them in a soft glow. Her cheeks were pink from laughing, and as he watched her shake her head and smile at his most recent joke, he realized how genuinely happy he was at the moment. `It's been a while,' he mused, taking another sip of his coffee.
Kagome ran her finger through the chocolate drizzle on the plate and popped it in her mouth. He followed the movement with eyes that were hungry for more than the dessert. “Mmm, that was awesome,” she said, sighing happily. “I've always heard about this place, but I've never had the chance to actually come here.”
He cleared his throat to shake some particularly steamy images from his mind, swallowing thickly. “Uh, yeah. It was really good.” He winced mentally. `Real smooth, Taisho! Get it together!'
She lazily twirled her cup, looking perfectly content. “So I remember you saying you're from Tokyo. Do you miss home?”
Inuyasha's good mood dipped as his father came to mind, and he looked down at his coffee, wondering how to answer that. How much did he want to burden her with? He breathed out slowly through his nose, then shrugged. “Not especially,” he said, hesitating on what to say next. “I left to get away from some shit, so…” He ground his teeth as the image of his father's headstone came to mind. “No. I don't really miss it.”
She frowned a little, appearing sympathetic. “I'm sorry, I didn't know. I might understand how you feel, though. I left for similar reasons,” she said quietly.
He looked at her again, his ear twitching. “Yeah, I know.”
She didn't look particularly surprised. “Miroku?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, “but only because he cares about you. He didn't want me…” He paused again, suddenly feeling a little sheepish. “He didn't want me to fuck with you anymore, and so he told me why.”
She nodded and looked down at her hands as they played with her coffee cup, her eyes lost in old pain. It was a moment before she spoke again, but it was with a small smile. “I don't mind that he told you.”
“Really?” he asked, a bit surprised.
“Maybe a little at first,” she admitted. “But I understand why he did. It's just not something that I want a lot of people to know about. I don't need….” She drifted off, her chin quivering a little as her eyes dropped again.
He reached across the table for her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “It's okay. I'm not going to tell anybody.” He sighed as she nodded, her lips tight. How in the hell did they get on this topic? He looked down at their joined hands and saw the faint pink lines marring the skin on the back of her left hand: the healing scratches left by a cocksucking motherfucker who still needed to be dealt with. His chest burned with quick anger, and he had to force himself to put those thoughts away. Another bad subject that had no business being brought up on a first date.
She must have noticed his line of sight and picked up on his thoughts because she covered his hand with her other, catching his eyes. She didn't say anything, but her face pleaded with him to let it go. `Feh. Fat chance of that happening,' he thought, but he nodded for her sake, even managing a calm smile. `Not now,' he agreed, noting her relieved grin. `But soon.'
Kagome took a deep breath and let it out, releasing his hands to tuck her hair behind her ears, and looked around. “They must be getting ready to close,” she observed, changing the subject.
Surprised, he glanced around as well, noticing most of the tables around them were now empty. “Yeah, they cleared out, didn't they?” He hadn't even noticed people leaving, which was unusual for him. Sure enough, the server arrived with the bill, and he looked at his watch as he pulled out his wallet, seeing it was just a little after ten. “Looks like we're getting kicked out,” he joked after the server left with his AMEX. “It's still a little early. Want to go down to the lakes and walk this food off?”
She smiled. “That sounds nice, but it's going to be pretty dark. Are you sure it's safe?”
Protect her.
“You probably know better than me if it's safe or not,” he admitted, quieting his instincts. “If you're not comfortable doing that, we can just go hit a bar or something.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, I'm not in the mood for that.” She paused a moment and smiled again. “I have a better idea. I know where we can go,” she said and tipped her cup up to finish her coffee.
He nodded and accepted the receipt from their server, wondering about her twinkling eyes as he scribbled his signature. He felt excited and he wasn't sure why. “Let's do it then,” he said, standing with her. He was pocketing his wallet when she shyly took his free hand, and he looked down at her pink cheeks and pretty smile, his heart skipping again.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said, squeezing his fingers meaningfully.
He smiled broadly. “Thank you for finally saying yes,” he said quietly, and was rewarded with a soft kiss from Kagome and at least three hoots from the kitchen.
***
“No, park at the Percussion Annex. We'll have to walk from there.”
“Where are we going?”
“You'll see. Just go to the Annex.”
“I'm not trying to get towed, wench.”
“Don't worry; people park overnight there all the time. Security overlooks it because students are sometimes there practicing at night.”
Inuyasha was unconvinced, but he followed her directions anyway and pulled into a spot close to the building. He saw two other cars there, so he allowed himself to relax a little. Still, if they came back from wherever they were walking to and his car was gone….
“Trust me,” Kagome insisted, opening her door. “Your precious Mercedes will be fine. Let's go.”
“Keh! Don't make me pack you up and take you to get your own damn car to park here!” he threatened, smiling good-naturedly as he climbed out.
“Shh!” she hissed. “Look, it'll be okay. Just keep your voice down.”
“Fine.” He locked the car and followed her to the sidewalk, noticing she was mostly staying in the shadows of the trees whenever she could. “Where are we going?” he asked again.
“Calm yourself, Taisho,” she teased, reaching for his hand as they briskly made their way across the street. “You'll like it. I hope,” she added quietly.
He squeezed her hand, noticing her blush even in the dim light from the sparse street lights.
After several minutes, he realized they were headed in the direction of the football stadium. `What the hell is she up to?' he wondered, not particularly liking the idea of getting caught for trespassing. Sure enough, he soon saw the looming shadow of Tiger Stadium growing steadily closer, and he almost dug in his heels, but he dampened his anxiety and forced himself to trust her, allowing her to lead him toward the southeast corner of the stadium where the construction zone was still fenced off from finishing the new upper deck in the south endzone.
“Wait,” she whispered, stopping in the shadows of the trees behind the Science Building. They watched as a campus security cruiser inched along Stadium Drive, shining a searchlight in their direction briefly before moving on and scanning further down the road. As soon as the car was a block away, she latched onto his hand again and they darted across the area to where the construction fence ended next to the walkway ramp for the east upper deck. “Hurry!” she said, and pulled back the fence to squeeze through the small gap between it and the concrete slab.
Inuyasha swore under his breath as he wedged his way through as well, then chased her around an idle backhoe toward the pillars under the stands, their feet kicking up tufts of dirt and clay as they ran.
“Keep up with me!” she called, giggling as she weaved her way through the metalwork.
“You're crazy!” he said, hot on her heels.
She slowed to a walk when they reached the relative safety of the darkness under the stadium stands, and brushed her bangs off her forehead. “These used to all be dorms,” she explained, putting her hand on a bare concrete wall as they rounded a corner. She pointed out the old windows in the walls high above them, many of them broken. “See? They built the dorms right under the stands. How would you have liked to live here, inside the stadium during football season?”
He smiled at her excitement, watching her face as she gave him the impromptu tour. They came to another concrete wall, and he watched, baffled, as she quickly scaled the eight-foot obstacle in her sandals, using the protruding rebars as support. Realizing he just missed out on an opportunity to give her a boost, he waited until she was standing again on the platform above him, then easily made the jump, gracefully pulling himself to standing where she was. He looked around as he got his feet under him, and even in the low light he could see they were now on the steps to go up to the middle deck. He looked at her, awestruck. “How the hell do you know about this?” he asked.
She grinned impishly. “Miroku,” she simply said, and took his hand again to lead him down the steps.
He shook his head and trotted ahead of her. “Can you even see?” he asked, slowing her down. “Let me go first so you don't fall and break your neck.” He heard her huff impatiently behind him and grinned, slowly making his way down toward the ground level. When they reached the breezeway at the bottom, she took the lead again and pulled him behind one of the concession stands, where there was a conveniently unlocked door leading to a storage area and another breezeway, and suddenly they were in a tunnel. It was even darker here, and he reached for his phone to turn on his flashlight.
“Don't!” she hissed, stilling his hand on his hip. He held his breath at the contact. “Security comes through here every once in a while. Just keep your voice down,” she said again and pulled him toward the end of the tunnel.
He could smell the grass of the field as they came out of the opening, and his breath left him as he looked up and beheld Tiger Stadium by moonlight. The crescent moon spilled just enough light on the field to let them see where they were, the dew sparkling faintly on the manicured turf, making the grass look like it was covered in diamonds. The goal posts stood tall in each endzone, silent sentinels over the stretching field. All was eerily quiet other than the crickets, and he turned around in a full circle to take it all in, never letting go of her hand. “It's huge,” he said, eyeing the dark, empty stands towering over them ominously.
“Is this your first time here?” she asked.
“They brought us here during orientation,” he said, looking up at the looming scoreboard emblazoned with “WELCOME TO DEATH VALLEY” across the top as he thought back to the tour he had to take with the freshmen and other transfers. “But it was daytime. It wasn't like this.”
She pointed to the tunnel they had just come through. “This is the visiting team entrance. Before the game, the handlers park Mike the Tiger in his cage right there, and the visiting players have to run right by him when they come on the field.” She smiled, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “They pretend not to care, but you know they have to be a little nervous, even if he is caged.”
Inuyasha nodded, imagining the great Bengal tiger just right there and having to pass him. “I bet they run pretty fast,” he muttered.
Suddenly she was gone, and he whirled around to see her dashing across the dark field, giggling madly with her hair whipping behind her. He grinned and waited a few seconds to give her a sporting chance, then took off after her. He easily caught her around the fifty yard line and scooped her up, flattening his ears when she yelped her surprise. He made it across the rest of the field with three long leaps and landed in the endzone, watching her laugh as she brushed her hair out of her face. “That's a touchdown,” he declared, setting her on her feet next to the goal post. “Six points, right?”
She smiled up at him and leaned back against the giant yellow post, her eyes catching the moonlight. “Are we keeping score?” she asked breathlessly, tucking a final loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Something stirred inside him at her words, and he took a moment to just look at her. Leaning against the goal post, bathed in the light of the moon, she looked like an offering to the gods; something that wasn't meant for the likes of him, a mere mortal. She was a gift, if he would just reach out and accept it. His skin tingled at the thought of touching her again.
Breathing deeply of the warm night air, he stepped forward and closed the gap between them, placing one clawed hand on her hip and gripping the post above her head with the other. He dropped his head to breathe her in, shuddering as her scent wrapped around him like a blanket. “You're trouble,” he decided, growling into her ear.
Kagome hummed, tipping her head back to look into his eyes. “And you're not?” she asked, smirking knowingly at him as she rested her hands on his shoulders.
“You'll find out,” he promised, dipping his head to taste those sweet lips again.
A flashlight beam suddenly waved in their direction from the home tunnel. “Hey! Who's there?!” a man shouted.
“Shit!” Inuyasha cursed, cutting off the urge to maul the security guard who interrupted their moment. He grabbed her and bodily swung her onto his back in half a heartbeat. “Hang on!” he told her as he grasped her thighs, and took off at a dead sprint, leaving only dust and Kagome's surprised shrieks echoing in their wake.
***
Miroku frowned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees on the couch in his dorm room. “I can't believe you said that to her.”
Sango scowled and took another sip of her beer, her fifth for the evening. “Miroku, you don't understand. I know her. If she doesn't make things perfectly clear with Kouga soon, she's going to start feeling guilty about doing anything with Inuyasha. And that's not even considering what Kouga will do if he finds out she's hanging with Inuyasha while she's still his, at least as far as he thinks.” She sneered and balanced the beer bottle on the arm of the couch, glaring at it as if it were the cause of her distress. “She's going to get hurt again.”
“If you really think that, then do what you can to warn her,” Miroku argued calmly, his voice still hinting of his disappointment. “But in the end, you have to let her make her own decisions. You're not her mother.”
“Her mother would agree with me!” she cried, her arm flying and knocking the bottle to the floor, sending lukewarm suds everywhere. “I'm just looking out for her! For God's sake, someone needs to!”
Miroku sighed and stood, grabbing a nearby towel off the back of his desk chair and dropping it onto the spilled beer. “My love, you're not looking out for her. You're trying to shield her, and the way you're going about it is pushing her away. From what you both have told me, that sounds exactly like what her mother would do. Do you want her to run away from you, too?”
“Kagome can't just run away from everyone who loves her!” Tears started welling up in those gorgeous brown eyes Miroku loved so much, and he cringed at the sight. “She's not a fucking child!”
“Then you have to stop treating her like one,” he insisted, sitting beside her again and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “If I know Kagome, then she probably agrees with you but is too stubborn to admit it. You're right to tell her if you're worried, but you can't tell her you won't be there for her if something goes wrong.” He wiped his thumb across her cheek and shook his head. “She has to know that you'll be there for her when she needs you.”
Sango turned her face away, scowling as tears leaked from her eyes, but said nothing.
“And besides, I still think you're blowing this whole thing with Kouga out of proportion,” he continued. “He's an asshole, but he's not that much of an asshole. I mean, shit, she broke up with him! Plain and simple.” He frowned. “You don't really think he'd do something to hurt her, do you?”
“You heard what she said!” she cried, rising suddenly to her feet. She swayed a little and reached out to the armoire to steady herself. “You heard what he said to her, the way he acted! He knows about what happened with Hojo, and he's using that knowledge to fuck with her! And I guarantee he'll find out about this little date with Inuyasha sooner or later, and when he does, he's going to do something stupid, and I swear to you, Miroku,” she growled through clenched teeth, her free hand curled into a fist, “when he does, I'm going to castrate that fucker and shove his balls down his throat!”
Wincing at that mental image, Miroku took her hand and pulled her back down to the couch. “Well, if he really does try to do something to hurt her, I'm sure Inuyasha will protect her. She'll be fine.”
Sango rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from his to cross her arms. “Please. Don't get me started on him. He doesn't even care about the danger he's putting her in! And I'm still not convinced he has her best intentions in mind. He cares about her on some level, I know, but--”
“`Cares' about her?” Miroku asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Sango, I think he's in love with her.”
She turned toward him, looking worried. “You think so, too?” she asked softly, as if speaking it too loudly would make it true.
He grinned. “I'm almost certain. He hasn't said it yet, at least not to me; I doubt he even realizes it. And don't shit your pants, but I think the feeling is mutual.”
Sango shook her head. “It's so crazy. They only met two weeks ago, and they hated each other!”
“There's a first time for everything, my dear,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him again. “And that so-called `hate?' I think that was just badly-disguised sexual tension running wild.” Looking down, he noticed how fantastic her legs looked in those shorts she was wearing, and he put a hand on her smooth knee.
Sango blushed and looked away. “Yeah…. They were pretty ridiculous.”
“They were.” Her pinked skin amused him, and he leaned in and kissed her neck softly, sliding his fingers to the back of her knee where he knew she was ticklish.
She squirmed a little in resistance, but her eyes fluttered shut. “E-especially Kagome… she was in such… d-denial….”
“Mm-hmm.” His fingers drifted over her soft skin, tickling her just slightly before skimming up the outside of her thigh. He was quickly losing interest in this conversation, and he had every intention of distracting Sango from her cousin and their friend within the next few seconds.
His fingers reached the hem of her shorts, slipping underneath the fabric an inch or two, and her mouth opened slightly, sealing his victory. “Miroku…” she warned half-heartedly.
“Yes, my love?” he asked innocently, tracing his tongue on the shell of her ear.
“Um….” Sango's head tipped back, giving him free reign over her throat, which he quickly took advantage of with little licks and soft kisses. “…Never mind.”
`That's what I thought,' he thought smugly as he twisted and laid her on her back, settling himself between her legs as he continued his attentions on her body. `Distraction accomplished.'
***
Inuyasha pulled into a visitor's parking space and cut the engine, turning to look at her again. “Here we are,” he said, his tone unreadable.
Kagome looked up at her apartment building and felt a wave of disappointment that their night was coming to a close. It was by far the most fun she had ever had on a date, and she hated that it had to end. “Yep,” she said, forcing a smile. “Here we are.”
He shifted in his seat a little, glancing around the parking lot and then up at their darkened window. “Sango's car is here, so she must be home.”
She glanced at her watch, seeing it was midnight. Judging by the lack of lights in their windows, it was possible her cousin was in bed, but more likely that she was out with the lecher. “Maybe,” she said indifferently, grabbing her purse and carnation as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Not that she particularly cared where Sango was at the moment, actually.
Inuyasha stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “Maybe?”
“She's probably out with Miroku,” she explained, keeping her voice neutral. “They usually go out on Friday nights before a home game since they won't be able to the next day.”
“So you'll be home alone,” he surmised, his tone dark with disapproval.
It took her a moment before she realized he was worried about Kouga showing up, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. “Inuyasha, I'm perfectly capable of being in an apartment by myself. I'm a big girl now,” she said peevishly.
“I'm going in with you,” he stated resolutely as he opened his door and quickly exited the car.
She got out as well, wondering if he had even heard her. “Inuyasha, I'll be fine,” she insisted again. At his steely glare, she nearly rolled her eyes and moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her hand and hauled her behind him, heading toward her stairs. “Hey!” she yelled, struggling to keep up with his long strides. “Inuyasha, I said I'll be fine! Would you just stop for a second?”
He didn't lose a step, and this time she did roll her eyes. `Over-protective and dominant… yes, Sango, you were definitely spot-on.' The thought of her cousin brought forth a little more emotion than she was willing to express at the moment, so she quickly changed gears once again and focused on the muscular shoulders of the inu hanyou before her as he climbed the stairs in front of her, not to mention a few other assets conveniently on display at her eye level.
`Gah!' She dropped her eyes to the steps beneath her feet, knowing that any arousal that surfaced would be quickly picked up by his oversensitive nose. Fortunately, they had finally reached her door, and he turned and looked at her expectantly, still holding her hand.
Kagome sighed and pulled her hand free to dig her keys out of her purse, only to have them snatched out of her hands when she found them. “Inuyasha!” she chided, reaching around him for her stolen property as he turned and unlocked her door.
“Quiet, wench,” he chided, a hint of teasing in his voice. He opened the door and took her hand again before entering, holding onto her much more tightly this time as he did a quick scan of the front room and kitchen, inhaling deeply.
“Ass,” she muttered, shaking her head as he proceeded to drag her down the short hallway, opening doors as he went. When they reached her room, she dug in her heels. “That's enough!” she demanded, feeling satisfied when he actually stopped and looked at her. “Nobody is here, so just cool your jets and relax!”
He had the good grace to blush through his scowl. “I'm just looking out for you,” he grumped.
“And I appreciate it, but seriously, I'll be fine. It's just the two of us in this apartment. We're all alone,” she argued, realizing what she said just a little too late. Her cheeks warmed, and she promptly shut her mouth.
His eyes changed a little, and even in the relative darkness of the hallway, she recognized that look. It was the same look he'd given her a couple times so far tonight; a look of longing, of seeing an opportunity and deciding whether or not he wanted to take it. She swallowed nervously as her body temperature rose, unsure if she could trust herself to stop him if he decided to make a move... unsure if she would even want to stop him. `What this man does to me,' she wondered dreamily, feeling the need to fan herself.
He blinked then, and his eyes cleared. “Okay,” he finally relented, and paused a moment before tugging her back to the front room.
She followed him, feeling oddly bereft. “Okay,” she agreed, not knowing what else to say, and set her things on the dining room table.
Inuyasha turned to face her again, refusing to let go of her hand. He looked at her for a moment, searching her face for something, though she wasn't sure what. Fighting the urge to shuffle her feet, she had almost wound up the courage to say something when he beat her to it. “Sorry,” he mumbled, squeezing her fingers. “I just wanted to make sure. I just… want you to be safe.”
Kagome's heart warmed at his admission, and she squeezed back, instantly forgiving him. “I know.”
He smiled a little, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “Well.....”
“Well,” she mimicked, smiling as well. “Thank you for tonight. I had fun.”
He looked relieved. “I'm glad. I did, too. We'll have to remember to go back to the stadium when it's dark,” he said leadingly, his smile turning suggestive.
“Maybe,” she teased, blushing despite herself. “But only if you keep your voice down next time.”
“Feh! You were the one who attracted the guard! You and your screaming,” he accused, chuckling.
“Because you scared me!” she said, laughing at the memory.
“Doesn't matter. Your fault.”
“The hell it is!”
He kissed her suddenly, catching her off-guard, and her laughter died a quick death against his lips. Recovering quickly, she wound her arms around his neck and happily lost herself in the feel of his warm, soft mouth moving against her own, coaxing her to join him in his intoxicating dance. His kiss was heavenly and devilish at once, passion and promise, and as she met him head-on with her own urgency, her conscience poked at her annoyingly, whispering that this was not appropriate behavior for a first date. She threaded her fingers through his hair and kicked that thought away.
She felt his hands grip her waist before snaking around to the small of her back, pressing her body into him slowly, gently, but insistently. She surrendered willingly, distantly wondering where she was finding this courage, and stood on her toes to feel more of his hard body against hers. She had never experienced this before, this unbridled desire, not with Kouga, not with anyone, and she realized her defenses were down just as his tongue swiped her lower lip. `He's way too good at this,' she decided, opening her mouth to him.
He groaned as his tongue brushed hers, and she thought she was going to melt. Their tongues twisted around each other languidly, gently exploring and tasting, testing boundaries and giving way. His taste was just like she remembered it that night in New Orleans, a night she revisited more often than was probably healthy. It was sweet and strong, like cafe au lait, but smooth as butter. It was cool like mint, and hot like whiskey, and the more intimate parts of her body took sharp notice of the delicious contrasts. His arms squeezed her body. Her hands grabbed his hair. He sucked on her lip. She nibbled on his. He growled. She moaned.
And a little more restraint drained out of her body.
Inuyasha broke away from her lips to move along her jaw, kissing and licking his way down the column of her throat. She greedily gulped at the air as his wicked mouth stole her breath away. “Inuyasha,” she panted, her eyelids fluttering closed as he hit a sensitive spot on her neck that set all the nerves in her body on fire.
“Mmm?” he hummed, not even pausing in his assault on her skin. His fingers splayed across her back possessively, flexing sporadically.
She swallowed, unsure of what she had wanted to say. “Don't stop,” she heard herself whisper, and couldn't find it within herself to be upset about it.
Suddenly they were moving, and before she even had a chance to open her eyes, her back was pressed into what felt like the couch, and Kagome learned of a new thrill that was threatening to make her come unhinged: the weight of Inuyasha's body on top of hers as he continued his attentions on her neck. She swept his long hair off to the side so she could explore the ridges and planes of his back and shoulders, loving the way he grunted against her skin as she stroked the various muscles she found. Their legs tangled together at the other end of the couch, and she started to consider the idea of opening her legs to him, to feel his hips settle between her thighs. At that thought, everything grew warm south of her waist, and she shuddered deliciously.
But it was then that Inuyasha's mouth drifted slightly lower and crossed the bridge of Kagome's collarbone, and suddenly he froze, his breaths still hot and rushed against her sensitized skin. She noticed his hesitation, and she finally opened her eyes, looking down on the silver head of hair just below her chin. “Inuya--”
“You are,” he interrupted, his voice still raspy but filled with awe as his eyes rose to look into hers. “You… you're a virgin.”
Kagome's jaw dropped. How could he possibly know that?
He swallowed and pulled himself up slightly, his eyes still dark with want. “I told you,” he said, obviously reading her confusion. “I can smell all sorts of things.”
Her eyes went even wider as all the blood drained from her face. Smell? Shit, he could smell that?!
Before Kagome could comprehend this information enough to become completely mortified, Inuyasha suddenly looked toward the door and sighed, a low growl of annoyance vibrating against her chest. She looked in the same direction and, despite not hearing anything, quickly realized what must have upset him. She immediately began squirming to get out from underneath him, and he relented, albeit reluctantly, pushing himself up into a kneeling position on the couch before pulling her up to sit in front of him. She looked into his eyes, seeing the barely-contained desire floating in those gorgeous sunny orbs, and blushed, knowing her own eyes mirrored his.
Gathering her wits, she swung her feet off the couch and stood as she smoothed her hands over her hair, sure that it was a mess, and watched out of the corner of her eye as Inuyasha stood as well. He was straightening his own appearance when the door flew open, revealing Miroku hauling a clearly-intoxicated Sango across the threshold with one of her arms draped over his shoulders. Her head was hanging forward, but her feet were moving to help her boyfriend carry her in, indicating she was at least conscious.
Kagome looked on, noting right away how drunk Sango was, and finally sighed and approached them to help Miroku get her to bed, but he shook his head. “I got her, Kagome. Don't worry, she's fine. She was going to stay over with me, but she just….” He paused, glancing from her to Inuyasha and back again. “She, uh, just wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
She could tell there was more to that story, but figuring now wasn't the best time, she just nodded and let him pass. She did catch the smirk he tossed Inuyasha though, and she rolled her eyes at his unspoken congratulations. `I'll smack the both of them!' she thought half-heartedly.
Turning, she saw Inuyasha scratching the back of his head as he looked at her, his eyes no longer hazy with the unrestrained lust she had seen there just a minute earlier. She sighed, knowing that in a way, she was thankful Miroku and Sango had come at that point. A few moments later, and they might have been caught in a much more compromising position, and while that hadn't seemed like such a horrible idea at the moment, she knew she would have regretted it later if she did it tonight. But now that he knew she was a virgin, she wasn't sure how he felt about having sex with her. Should they talk about it? Perhaps, but not tonight. It was getting late, and she was tired, and the best thing for her right now was probably a cold shower, not a drawn-out discussion about sex.
“Well,” Inuyasha said, taking the few steps it took to reach her. “I guess I should probably go.”
“Yeah.” Kagome sighed, hoping her disappointment wasn't too obvious. “I had a lot of fun tonight,” she said again, smiling a little.
“Yeah.” He held his hand out, and she took it, smiling a little wider. “Me, too.” He pulled her into a warm embrace, kissing her softly once more as he pulled away. “I'll see you at gameday rehearsal tomorrow.”
“Yup.” She squeezed his hand and let it go, knowing if she didn't release him now, she probably never would.
Inuyasha sighed, a hint of frustration on his face, but smiled and went to the door. He opened it, but before walking through it, he stopped, and then looked back at her with an unreadable expression.
“Everything okay?” she asked, frowning.
He grinned. “Everything's fine. I was just thinking how different this is from the last time I walked out this door.” His smile reached his eyes in the way she loved. “How much better it is.” And with that, he turned again and left, closing the door behind him.
And Kagome smiled brighter, thinking herself pretty lucky to have come to her senses with him. She walked to the front window and watched him get into his car and start it up, backing out and driving away into the dark Baton Rouge night. “It is better,” she agreed, her smile a permanent fixture on her face as she locked the door and turned off the lights.
*****************
A/N: The wonderfully-talented Kriscynical
created another piece of perfection! I wanted a shot of Inuyasha
and Kagome's first date, right when he picks her up at her
apartment, and once again, she delivered awesomeness. View it
here: http://bit.ly/1JoZbei