InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Can Only Wander For So Long ❯ Nehi ( Chapter 18 )

Whoa! I meant to post this like, twelve hours ago. ^^; Reason behind my delay today? I wrote a LEMON omg lol yay! Moment of immaturity aside, enjoy. And for my especially-prude-cuties, keep an eye out for the ***, which signifies when you should hit ‘page down’ a whole bunch of times. ;) It appears when the wanna-be plot skates off in a more amorous direction. The story will pick back up next chapter. Took a while to orchestrate... strange how citrus takes longer to write than an action scene... WHY?!?

Please check out my AN at the end!!

Omg, I uploaded a VERY bad version earlier, .... right.


Chapter 18 - Nehi

The flight to Darella was short and uneventful, and once they arrived, they picked up their small suitcases from baggage claim and paid for a rental car. Kagome smiled over at Inuyasha as they pulled out of the parking lot, heading north. They would have to drive for about two hours, so she stopped for something to eat before they got on the highway. Inuyasha ordered so much food that Kagome wasn’t sure where they’d hold it on the front seat, but somehow between his lap and the floor he managed. The drive was quiet and scenic along a bit of coastline, followed by a large area of forest. Inuyasha had his window rolled down for a while to enjoy the scent of the trees until they passed a large semi hauling a double set of trailers.

The electric window couldn’t roll up fast enough, it seemed, and he slumped back in the seat looking a bit green. Kagome patted his hand as they drove. They arrived at their destination on schedule, and they decided to meet with the old woman before making any plans to stay overnight. The city of Nehi was of a decent size, famous for the state of the art technology center nestled in the hills just outside city limits. The lady they would be visiting had a simple, one-story home with a large, unfenced lawn.

They pulled the car to a stop at the curb and got out, stretching their limbs. “Are you ready to see what she can tell us?” Kagome asked, feeling a bit nervous. ‘Why are we here, anyways? We could just walk away and figure this out for ourselves...’

Inuyasha gave her a small smile and took her hand, and the two of them walked across the lawn to the front porch.

They stood in front of the door, hesitating for a moment, for neither of them were enthusiastic about changing anything about their current situation.

A small white speaker next to the door crackled to life, startling them both. “Don’t stand there all day, come in, come in!” a static-laced voice said.

Inuyasha held open the door for her, then followed her inside. His nose twitched at the nearly overwhelming scent of dried flowers and spices that clung to everything in sight. The room they stood in was lit by stained glass lamps, which cast a soft colorful glow. “Come on back here, you two. I just made some tea.”

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look before walking down the hallway towards the voice, and the sight that met their eyes after entering the room wasn’t quite what they’d expected.

An elderly woman in a floral-print dress sat on a plush couch, pouring tea into small cups on the table in front of her. She looked up and smiled, motioning them to take a seat. Kagome sat across from her, sinking into the soft furniture with a smile. Inuyasha sat next to her, frowning at the abundance of flowers in vases in the room.

“Aren’t the flowers just lovely? My son-in-law replaces them every so often, such a sweetheart.” She smiled, looking about the room. “Are you hungry? Would you like something to snack on, perhaps? Miss Kira was here earlier, and she left a tray of her most scrumptious pastries in the kitchen.”

Kagome felt more at ease in the presence of this woman than she had in a long time. “No, thank you, ma’am,” she replied politely.

“Oh, forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. I’ll have none of that ma’am nonsense, so just call me Kaede.” She winked at them. “Now then,” she began, holding out a cup of tea for each of them. “Let me take a look at your ring.”

Kagome paused mid-sip, looking up at Kaede in confusion. “Excuse me? My ring?” Kaede simply sat there with a soft, understanding smile gracing her lips, as if she knew Kagome would react this way.

Kagome frowned, looking to Inuyasha for any ideas. He shrugged and took a taste of his tea, smiling when he found she’d added just enough sugar. She looked back to Kaede, nodding hesitantly. “All right, but, I don’t quite know what it has to do with anything.”

Kaede smiled at her response, nodding. “I know... I know you don’t, dear. But, it has more to do with your life than you may think.”

Kagome touched the ring, intending to take it off of her finger, but it wouldn’t slide off the length. She could rotate it and wiggle it about, but any attempt to remove it failed, as though it was a part of her hand. Kaede raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. “I didn’t need you to remove it for me to take a look... haven’t you tried to take it off before, dear?”

“No, I’d never thought about removing it before, so…” she trailed off, looking down at her hand in concern.

“It’s alright, Kagome. It is meant to remain a part of you until the day you die.”

Kagome frowned, but held out her hand for the older woman to inspect the ring. Kaede turned her hand this way and that, taking in the exquisite details that swirled around the surface of the band. “Very beautiful ring, I must say, and very rare, too! I know of six still in existence. The others have been lost or destroyed over the centuries.” Kaede held up her own hand, showing a similar ring, only smaller and gold. “Dear, these relics are very old, going back farther than anyone knows. People say that the original documentation on these objects were lost in a great disaster, but we’ll never know for sure, will we?” she winked at the two.

She turned Kagome’s hand over, running a fingertip along the band.

“Goodness, your ring has one of the strongest auras I’ve seen yet!” she chuckled at something as she held Kagome’s hand in hers. “And as such, you need to use your ring more often, dear! The power these relics accumulate can overflow, destroying the object, as well as the owner.” She released Kagome’s hand and looked down at her own band with a small quirk of her lips. “As it is, mine is absorbing the excess from yours.”

Kagome’s eyes widened at this statement, and she began fidgeting with the ring. “What power? Use my ring?” Her gaze fell to her lap in worry as she whispered, “destroy...“

Kaede smiled, knowing what she’d ask before she could continue. “Dear, you are a miko. You knew of this already, but what you didn’t know was how your ring can amplify your powers, giving you newer and stronger abilities, and coming to your aid when you’re in danger.” At this, she looked meaningfully at Inuyasha. “It chose well, you know,” she turned her own ring about her finger. “My skills as a miko are to see what are. Yours are to feel. Kikyo, who is now a part of your power, could twist nature to her will. And twist it she did, that poor lass. She would have made a superb healer, had she been taught to do good from her birth, but both her mother and her relic guided her down the wrong path.”

Kagome started to ask a question, and Kaede held up a hand to shush her. “Kagome, just sit and be silent, dear. I know what you’ll be asking, just let me talk until I can’t talk anymore.”

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows in amusement at the old woman’s response. He sat back in the couch a bit more comfortably and picked up Kagome’s hand, threading his fingers through hers.

“Now then, about Kikyo. Yes, she has passed away, but her soul has been trapped in your ring. With time and a few charms, I might be able to find out more about how it happened, as well as if we can release her spirit. Having her vengeful soul sticking around here might not be a very healthy thing. Who knows what mischief that girl can still get into,” she sighed and tapped her chin with a finger.

“About the two of you, your ring bound your souls to keep you safe, Kagome. Usually that is a very last resort, so you must have been in quite a dangerous spot!” At this, she raised an eyebrow at Kagome, as if to motion that she knew exactly what had happened. “As a result of that, the two of you share a unique connection. Injuries and pain can be healed or alleviated by each other.” She smiled and clapped her hands together. “Isn’t that wonderful? I wish my husband could have taken some of the brunt from childbirth for me,” she sighed, reminiscing. Chuckling, she continued. “Now, Inuyasha’s hanyou blood will be able to do more than you can right now, Kagome. You should have noticed a drain in your energy when he was greatly injured once. ...But with training and a better knowledge on how to use that ring, who knows? You have a lot of potential, I can tell, but your senses need to be controlled some. That plane trip was certainly more than you needed to experience.” Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look at that statement.

“There are a few things you need to know while you’re in town. First of all, Kikyo’s relic is being stored and studied at Nehi Labs. The fools there have no idea what they have their hands on. That relic is a very dark one, for it has been in the hands of a twisted family for as long as your ring has been in the service of good.” She picked up her cup of tea and sipped it slowly, collecting her thoughts.

“I just mentioned the rings amplifying and augmenting to our inherent abilities, but there’s something else. While good relics may guide our emotions, such as helping warriors be more brave and courageous in battle, or healers to remain calm and proficient in the most troubling of scenarios, they also lead our actions. Those like myself, who can see what is unseen, are led in directions that will benefit society as a bigger whole. As it grows, Kagome, your ability will be focused by seeking out those who would do harm to this world and her people. With the help of your new companion, this task will be much easier to accomplish. Sometimes it will seem that trouble is following you, while in reality, it is the other way around.”Kagome frowned and looked up at Inuyasha in worry. That flight’s mishap would only be the first of a long line of tiresome events, it seemed. Kaede put her teacup on the small table and folded her fingers on her lap. “Dark relics, on the other hand, urge their owners to kill, maim, destroy; to cause others pain when possible. You don’t have to be of our heritage for the relic to affect you, either.”

Her expression became serious as she continued, “You’ve read the article, and you know what it’s capable of doing. Things like that should be contained or corrected before all hell breaks loose.” She paused and scooted forward on the couch, lowering her voice. “There is someone intending on taking this relic from Nehi. I don’t know who he is, because he has blocked himself from spying eyes such as mine. But you can’t hide everything from this old woman,” she tapped the tip of her nose and chuckled.

“Did I answer everything?” she asked, leaning back with a bright smile on her face. She looked between the both of them as they both racked their thoughts for anything forgotten.

Inuyasha seemed to think of something, but he hesitated before asking it.

“Oh, no, the binding cannot be broken,” she answered, before he could utter a sound.

“But...” Kagome began.

“It can’t be broken for a very good reason, which you two will come to understand later,” Kaede interrupted, her eyes twinkling merrily. “Come back here tomorrow morning, Kagome. There are some things I need to teach you before you go home again,” she said, standing. “Now you two should go get some rest and let that information tumble around in your heads for the night. You might come up with some more questions for tomorrow. Now then, soap operas are coming on in a few minutes, and I don’t want to miss anything!” She chuckled as she led them out the door.

Kagome looked puzzled as she turned around. “But, I thought you were a seer… Don’t you already know what’s going to happen on the show?”

Kaede winked at her and replied, “True, my dear. But half the fun is watching them make fools of themselves!” And with that, she wiggled her fingers at them and shut the door.

The two of them just stood on the front step for a while, staring at the closed door. Confusion and too much information all at once left them dazed. “That was not what I was expecting,” Kagome said, putting her hands in her pockets. “I feel like there’s something else we needed to ask about.”

Just then, the speaker crackled to life: “I almost forgot! Your dreams are the key to your futures, for they reveal much - with no consequence on the physical level.” It fell silent again, and the two of them continued to look at the white box, considering what Kaede had just said. “I wonder what that was about...” Kagome muttered, putting a finger to her chin.

“That sounded like the sort of thing we came here for.” Inuyasha said with a smirk. “Cryptic statements that we’ll figure out after it’s come to pass.” He placed his hand under her elbow and led her back to the car. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to actually ask something tomorrow,” he said, opening the door for her.

Kagome nodded her agreement and slid into the driver’s seat, starting up the vehicle as Inuyasha climbed in beside her. They drove back through town, deciding to stop at the hotel they’d seen coming into town.


Nehi Labs, Fourth Floor.

“Hey Macintyre, how’d the results on that specimen turn out?” a tall, blonde haired woman asked as she entered the office. A man standing at a terminal in the corner turned around, smiling at her.

“We got a few useable prints, as well as identifiable blood samples from a few of the victims in the case. Looks like we’ve got our murder weapon. Although, I have to wonder why they sent it all the way here for testing...” he trailed off, running a hand through his curly black hair before he turned back to his terminal to continue entering data.

She walked across the office to the coffee pot, pouring herself a mug. “I heard it was ordered by the forensics team there. Ett... you know her, down on the first floor? She was telling me earlier today that her uncle works with Manona PD.”

He interrupted her with a grin flashed over his shoulder. “Small world, eh?”

She smirked at him, shaking her head as she stirred the coffee. “Supposedly, the police chief knew someone here would want to take a closer look at it, something about it being possessed.”

He stopped working to turn around and pin her with a disbelieving stare. “Heather, that’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard. A knife, possessed? What, is it making anyone who touches it go on a killing spree?” he rolled his eyes at the notion. “Right, and my grandmother plays hockey with the NHL.”

“That’s being too closed minded about it all, Mac. It makes me wonder, after hearing the report on the murders, why such a thing would happen between good friends like that. And, how would just one of them manage to kill seven others in such a short time? That kid would have had to be... I don’t know, twisted and set it all up before the trip, or something else, like the possession thing. It makes sense, but it doesn’t at the same time.”

“The kid just had some social issues. Sometimes these things happen. All we can do is try to prove who did it, and not worry ourselves with the why. That’s a job for detectives and other... deducing... people like that.” His lips twisted into a half-grin. “Besides, if we spend all night working out why this stuff happens, we wouldn’t be able to go home and do other stuff.”

She raised an eyebrow at his comment. “You know, I think that’s the only thing you ever have on your mind.” She sighed, sipping her coffee. “I’m being serious here, too. It just doesn’t sit right with me, and I worry we’ve got our hands on something bad. Couldn’t you have come up with a better reason for us not to worry about it, anyways? Deducing people... like we don’t already employ logic in our line of work? Really now...”

“Yeah, CPU logic. We’ve got our computers to do all the work for us!”

She finished her coffee and frowned at him. “I’m going home for the evening. You can sleep on the couch tonight, smartass,” she said as she left the office, grabbing her purse as she walked by.

Mac pouted at the office door as it closed. “Crap.”

He continued to work for another hour after she’d left, entering data and doing comparisons on samples taken from other specimens. ‘And here I was trying to tell her that we should go home early...’ he thought as he signed off for the night. He flipped his wrist over to glance at the time, grimacing. “Probably missed dinner,” he grumbled to himself as he stood and stretched.

He stepped out of the office, his coat slung over his arm as he turned to lock the door for the night. The hallways were silent and half-lit, a sure sign that most of the staff had gone home. A lone janitor pushed a cart far down the hall, but there was no one else to be seen.

He fingered the keys in his pocket as he trudged down the hallway, his thoughts focused on his unhappy wife and another night of sleeping on the couch. He sighed as he stopped in front the elevators, reaching out to press the button. He watched his feet as he scuffed the toes of his shoes on the hard tile flooring.

When the doors opened with a soft ‘ding’, he looked up to see someone he hadn’t expected to see smiling at him. “Good evening, sir,” Mac said in greeting.

“Evening, Dres. Late night at the office, eh?” the man responded, tucking his hand into a coat pocket.

“Yeah, got some extra work taken care of concerning the Hacksley, Doten, and Manona specimens. Should be able to submit complete reports of the analyses by lunchtime tomorrow, sir,” he answered, reaching over to press the button for the ground level.

“Good to hear, Dres. Speaking of the Manona case, I needed a second opinion regarding something. Would you mind accompanying me for a moment to the vaults before you head home?” he asked as the elevator doors opened on Mac’s intended stop.

Mac thought about it for a moment, but figured he was already late enough to not need to worry about an extra half-hour or so. “Not at all, sir,” he said, nodding to him.

The man in the suit smiled knowingly and pressed the button for the sixth floor, and the doors slid shut again. It seemed a bit odd to Mac that he happened to be one of the last people in the building, yet here he was, going back up six floors to do more work with someone in upper management. He shrugged it off and looked up to watch the numbers light up towards the sixth floor.


Across town, in the lobby of The Four Corners Inn

Inuyasha leaned against the wall next to the reception desk with his arms crossed, listening as Kagome booked them a room for the night. He tried to hide his smirk as his thoughts wandered to possibilities for that evening, regardless of her requesting separate beds.

He followed her to the elevators and watched as she pressed the button. They waited in silence for a moment, but he kept his senses focused on her. She seemed apprehensive, and he looked over in amusement as she shifted lightly from foot to foot. “Something bothering you, Kagome?” he asked.

She started, glancing at him briefly before looking away, blushing slightly. “Uh-uh,” she shook her head, adjusting the grip on her small overnight bag. He had an idea about what she was nervous about: being alone with him - and her repressed desire for ‘some pouncing’.

Inuyasha reached over and took it from her, smiling. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t let me carry this in the first place,” he teased.

Kagome frowned at him in dismay. “I was perfectly capable of carrying that myself, you know.” The elevator doors behind them slid open with a ‘ding,’ and they entered. Kagome pressed the button for the third floor, unable to stop her smile as the doors slid shut to the tinkling tune of ‘Girl from Ipanema.’ “This is such a cute song,” she commented. He nodded in agreement, focusing on her scent. The slight excitement and anticipation laced with her natural scent intensified as the elevators moved upwards, boosting his confidence with each passing moment.

The two of them walked in silence down the hall, slowing as Kagome pulled out the card that would unlock the door. “I’ve got the shower first,” Inuyasha said with a smirk.

“All right, all right,” she replied, flopping onto one of the double beds. She rolled over onto her side, glancing around the room. There was a small desk with complimentary stationery, a bedside table with a fancy lamp and an alarm clock, and the wall above the beds had simple paintings of flowers. A mirrored closet door occupied the wall between the bathroom and the door they’d entered. She sat up, unzipping the suitcase to pull out something soft to sleep in and set it aside for after her shower.

Feeling a bit bored, she picked up the remote and leaned back, flipping on the TV. ‘News, news... where’s the news station?’

Click
“...will return to ‘Night Owl Marathon Movies’ after these messages...”


Click
“...and if you call within the next 6 minutes, you’ll receive our back massager, a fifty dollar value - for free!...”


‘Alone with Inuyasha again, and that look.... He’s up to something,’ she thought as she flipped through the channels. “Don’t use up all the hot water!” she said loudly.

Click
“...said I’m not a chicken, I’m a hound dog, a hound dog, ya hear?...”

She sighed into a pillow tucked under her chin, wondering what kinds of magnificent revelations her dreams could hold. ‘Aside from fooling around with hotness personified,’ she thought, repressing a thoroughly lecherous grin.

Click
“In breaking news, police received...”

Click
“...unwed pregnant teens discuss...”

Kagome fumbled with the remote for a second. ‘Oops, missed it...’

Click
“... body was discovered by a janitor earlier this evening at Nehi Laboratories. Reports indicate that he sustained multiple lacerations to his body, succumbing to blood loss. The attacker is still unknown and at large. This case follows close on the heels of a strikingly similar murder case in Iowa, where seven teenagers were killed in the same brutal fashion. The murder weapon for both cases is suspected to be a specific knife, which has been reported as stolen from Nehi Laboratories shortly after the discovery of the body. Macintyre Dres is a lifelong resident of Nehi; Mrs. Dres was unavailable for comments.”

Kagome set the remote down as a sick feeling crept over her. She didn’t think it would be so fast; after all, Kaede hadn’t made it sound like it was due to happen barely an hour after they left... “We’ve got to do something...” she muttered, getting off of the bed and walking towards the bathroom door. Intent on getting him out of his shower quickly, she raised a hand to knock, but the door flung open before she could. Inuyasha was dripping wet with a towel hastily wrapped around his hips, a concerned look on his face.
“So soon?! We just got here,” he grumbled as he slipped past Kagome to find his clothes. Kagome stood frozen by the door, her hand raised to knock as she watched him walk across the room in the too-small damp towel.

‘I’ve seen him nude before, what the hell am I staring at?!’ she reminded herself, shaking her head and attempting to compose herself. A little voice reminded her that she hadn’t seen him naked and conscious at the same time before, and adding on to their recent physical closeness, she couldn’t help but continue to watch.

As if he knew it would taunt her, tease her, or just make her turn red, he pulled a change of clothes from the still-open suitcase and dropped his towel to dress. In shock, she turned around quickly, facing the wall, only to find his reflection meeting her embarrassed gaze. She saw everything, especially as he bent over to slip his pants on. The lean legs, the tapered waist, the fine hind-end, and even parts that came into sight as he leaned so far over...

Kagome covered her eyes, her throat went dry and she tried to swallow. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as those short glimpses tumbled through her thoughts, and she knew her face had turned a brilliant shade of red. She heard his pants slide so slowly up those thighs... it had to be sensual torture in the worst form. Her mind had lost focus on the dilemma and possible murder spree that could occur to center on the male mere feet behind her. ‘I’m acting like some love-starved teenager!’ she tried to reason with herself to calm down. The faint click of the fasteners and a soft zip seemed to echo in the suddenly silent room, and she chanced a peek at him through her fingers.

He had finally straightened and turned to look at her, but something had changed in his eyes. Those normally bright golden eyes were such a dark honey... the smug tilt to his lips and the slight flex of his fingers would have been her only warning before he finally pounced on her. Before she could blink, she was turned around and flat against the mirrored sliding door, his body pressed to hers as he dipped his head to capture her mouth in a passionate kiss.

“If this weren’t,” he broke the kiss momentarily to pant out, “so important,” his tongue met hers as she opened up to him willingly, “your clothes would,” sucking lightly on her lower lip as she made a small moan of enjoyment and laced her fingers at his nape “...be in pieces...” he finished, running his hand up her hip, past her waist and ribs to brush his fingers across her breast. She gasped and arched into him as he kissed her again, gently kneading the soft flesh for a moment before drawing away from her.

Her face was flushed and her eyes were half-closed as she stood against the wall. “Come on, Kagome,” he said with a strained voice, “let’s go see a dead man about a knife.” He smirked, quickly toweling his hair dry. He shook it out before pulling on a gray turtleneck. He stepped in front of her and kissed her once before turning around to kneel. “Get on, we’ll go my way this time.”

She still felt dazed and confused, nodding absently as she climbed onto his back, clutching his waist with her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders. He stood and strode to the window, pushing it open and leaping out into the night sky.

It took them practically no time to get through town. Aside from getting whipped in the face with Inuyasha’s slightly damp hair for a moment after they’d started, it was an amazing trip. A bit of adjusting on her part, and she found she could watch the scenery fly by from under his canopy of hair, peeking over his shoulder.

Kagome had never traveled like this; it felt like riding a roller coaster that laughed at you when you squeaked in surprise. Her stomach flipped every time they made a downward movement to touch down on another rooftop, and her ponytail tossed around as he touched off to shoot into another flying leap. When Inuyasha landed on a building near the middle of the city, it was easy to see Nehi Labs nestled amidst the hills to the east, brightly illuminated against the night. Inuyasha took off in that direction and they arrived within a minute or so.

They landed in a spot hidden from the building by many trees and thick foliage, and Kagome made a motion to let go of him to stand on her own. He tightened his grip on her knees and leapt into the trees to their right to get a better view of the building. The lights were dimmed and mostly off inside the building, save for the sixth floor, where Inuyasha could clearly see a few investigators still walking around and collecting evidence.

“Can you tell if the thief is still here, Kagome?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

“I don’t sense anything wrong right now, so I don’t think so. Kaede said it was a ‘he’, so we’re narrowed down some, but she also said that he knew how to block himself from her, so maybe he can do the same with me?” she bit her bottom lip in worry.

He focused his sense of smell for a moment, sorting the scents in the area. “I can smell a small trace of blood, but not much,” he said, hopping down from the tree to locate the source. He stepped carefully around the grounds, stopping every few feet to redirect himself. They approached a fire exit door on the edge of the building, and Inuyasha looked carefully at the walls. “Here,” he said, pointing at a small spot. “There’s a small spot of blood here, and it smells fresh. I can also smell the culprit...”

The wind was still for the most part this evening, so the scents hadn’t had time to disperse much. He quickly followed a trail that passed most of an empty parking lot and led behind the building, before it finally moved away into the grassy expanse that stretched out behind the labs. A tall fence topped with barbed wire could be seen as they stopped in the middle of the grass, for the scent had disappeared.

“The scent stops here, but it mingles with another scent, of youkai. Just like Kikyo was using youkai to do her dirty work...” he said, looking up into the sky. “Damn.”

He turned around, heading back to the tree line where they’d arrived and hopped onto a tall branch. “Let’s wait a little while until the area clears out some, and then we’ll go take a look around inside.”

It was maybe another hour or two of camera flashes and the few investigators coming and going before things finally settled down. Inuyasha hopped down from the branch they waited on and finally let her stand. The two of them walked up to the fire exit they’d stopped at earlier, for Inuyasha was sure that the culprit’s scent originated from this point of the building. They found the latch had been somehow broken, allowing entry from the outside.

After entering the mostly dark building, Inuyasha led the way, picking up the scents of the people who’d been through that area most recently. Eight different individuals, a few of them carried traces of foreign materials and tools he’d never smelled before, so he didn’t know what to think about some of it. But the scent of blood lingered heavily in the air. It clung to surfaces tread upon, to walls brushed against, or tables touched. He led them to an elevator near their entrance point, where the scents of the investigators faded, but the blood smell continued.

“I think whoever killed him took this elevator out of the building. It’s off to the side... and I can’t smell the police over here,” he said to her, quietly. Kagome was looking around at the interior of the building, taking in the sight of security cameras that were pointed at various locations around the room.

“There aren’t any cameras over here. That’s awfully convenient... see? There’s one that points to the main elevators and the receptionist desk there, and one that points towards the main entrance...” she looked past the elevators they were nearest and saw the emergency stairs and a fire exit. “That’s the fire escape we were just at... Maybe he left through there because no one would have visual evidence of him escaping...”

“I’ve got his scent, so let’s go up and see what we can find,” he said quietly.

“Let’s take the stairs, in case someone is still here,” she led the way towards the fire escape stairs and pulled open the door to look up the darkened stairwell. He picked her up without a word and leapt up the stairs, a flight at a time. They stopped at the door marked with a large ‘6’ to peek into the hallway cautiously. There was no one around, and he couldn’t smell or hear anyone nearby, so they stepped into the brightly lit hallway and took a look around.

The area seemed normal and quiet, with no visible sign of the murder that had occurred nearby such a short while ago. Inuyasha led the way, following his nose to the source of the blood. The police had only removed the body, so the small white room still showed evidence of the death. Blood was splattered along the white tiled floor, massed in one area near a long table, but with sporadic spots and bloody streaks to show the struggle and movement of the man who’d lost his life as he tried to escape from his attacker.

Chills racked down her spine as she stood there looking about the room. “Kagome, you ok?” Inuyasha asked her.

“Yeah... doesn’t feel like he’s nearby... but he knows we’re here, I think.” Kagome looked around the room, judging the objects and equipment that was organized along the tables. “This looks like some sort of storage room, Inuyasha,” she said as she stepped towards the bloody table. She stood next to the edge of the largest bloodstain, looking down at her feet and around her. A soft breath of cold air brushed past her leg, slipping through the thick jeans as though they weren’t there. “What in the world?” she began, looking back at Inuyasha. “Did you feel that?”

“Huh? Feel what?” he looked up at her in confusion.

“It came from behind me, on the floor...” she said, turning and looking at the ‘source’ of the chilly bit of wind. There was a cabinet safe left slightly ajar, and as Kagome reached out to touch it, that same gust of wind ran over her fingers, making her shudder with the extreme chill. “Wow, that’s cold,” she said, moving her fingers along the door without touching it. Inuyasha watched her with interest as she picked up a pen from a nearby tabletop and used it to push open the cabinet door. She gasped at the strange sight that met her eyes – in the middle of the single shelf was a purplish-black glowing residue in the shape of a knife.

Kagome frowned for a moment, wondering about the visible energy. Her ring gave a little pulse, and Kagome watched in fascination as the traces flowed to her hand and seemed to be sucked into the silvery band.

The severe cold hit her hard, stinging her hand for a moment before the ring pulsed again, sending an answering wave of warmth up her arm. ‘It’s like the energy changed when it touched my ring,’ she thought to herself, catching a glimpse of small sparkles coming from the grooves along the band.

“We know that whoever murdered that man has the knife...” she muttered as she stood, looking up at Inuyasha. “It scares me how evil that thing is, and the fact that it left a trace behind...” she trailed off, twisting her ring. “We need to ask Kaede, but about what, I’m not sure.”

“Ready to go, then?” he asked, reaching out for her hand. She nodded and threaded her fingers through his, taking comfort in his strength.

They went back down the staircase and left through the same fire escape, feeling like they’d wasted time in looking around on the sixth floor. Inuyasha walked a short distance, scenting their surroundings before picking Kagome up to carry her on his back again.

“All in all, that was rather fruitless,” Kagome mumbled as she twirled her fingers around a lock of his hair.

“True, but at least I picked up his scent. We’ll ask Kaede what we can do about him when we see her tomorrow. We can’t hunt him down without a scent trail... so maybe she knows another way.”

“’kay,” she mumbled, sounding drowsy. “Let’s go home.”

He took off into the trees, going slower and more carefully since the rush to arrive had passed. His grip on her knees tightened as they neared the still-open window of their hotel room. Her breathing had evened out and she seemed to be fast asleep, one of her arms dangling around his shoulder.

He hopped up to their window, alighting on the sill with ease. He stepped into the room, twisting forward and to the side to have Kagome slip into his waiting arms. He gathered her sleeping form close to his body and sat down on the closest bed, looking down at her sleeping face. He smiled as he brushed a finger across her lips before kissing her softly.

She remained unresponsive to his kiss, but her eyelids twitched a bit. It seemed that she was dreaming already. He laid her down, straightening her legs and considering taking off her jeans so she’d be more comfortable while she slept. He decided against it for the night, thinking it would be better to not be tempted by bare expanses of soft, creamy legs...

His thoughts screeched to a halt as he felt the first stirrings of passion from simply thinking about Kagome half-clothed. Reaching around his waist, he grasped the edges of his shirt and pulled it over his head, shaking his hair loose again as he leaned over Kagome, nestling his face into the crook of her shoulder and inhaling her scent.

She smelled... distressed? He took a look at her face, watching for any nuances in her expression as she slept. Her eyebrows quirked into a frown, and she muttered, “Wait,” with an edge of desperation.

Inuyasha quickly settled beside her, took a calming breath, and closed his eyes. His body fell into sleep almost immediately, and he was plunged into the darkness of the dreamscape.

It seemed a long moment later before he could see anything of his surroundings, of which there really were none. A slowly appearing gray mist began to curl along the floor, and the only sound he could hear was of two heartbeats. One was his, he was quite sure, but he wasn’t sure about the other. ‘Maybe it’s Kagome’s?’ he thought.

He walked a short while, looking for any sign of Kagome. He worried about her lack of appearance, and began to run in the empty landscape, searching for any sight or scent of her. She suddenly appeared in Inuyasha’s path, reaching out to an unseen presence, asking them to wait. She was dressed in nothing but a simple white gown that barely covered her thighs. Her form was tense and she seemed confused as she wrung her fingers in worry.

“Kagome?” he asked tentatively. She turned and looked up at him with a slight frown. He couldn’t help glancing down at the front of the ‘dress’, and he found his face heating from the sudden arousal that hit him. He swallowed thickly, trying to keep his thoughts centered on calming her worries. “Kagome, are you ok? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m fine, it’s just... I just learned some things... I need to ask Kaede about them tomorrow when we see her,” she answered vaguely, but she seemed comforted with the idea of talking to Kaede about it the next morning. She looked up at him sheepishly and quirked her lips in amusement, “I fell asleep on you, didn’t I? I don’t know what came over me. I was just so sleepy...” she began - only to be shushed by his lips on hers.

***

He broke the kiss after a moment, whispering, “Tomorrow, worry...” he nibbled a path down her neck. “Right now, it’s just us...” ‘and that tiny dress...’ he added on as a thought. He smiled at her throaty sigh as he ran his hands behind her back and neck, pulling her closer. The chill dreamscape faded into soothing warmth as Inuyasha ran the pads of his fingers up her spine, finding the edge of the dress she wore. He curled his claws over the loose neckline, pulling downwards through the bottom hemline to slice the material free from her skin. He licked a trail across her shoulder, nuzzling the junction where the shoulder and neck met, biting her lightly as the destroyed garment pooled around her ankles.

She gasped and made a small noise of agreement as she took fistfuls of his hair, pulling his face back to her mouth for another kiss. She parted her lips to deepen their kiss, sliding her tongue along his lips to taste him. He responded in kind, the moment of their passion escalating as they explored each other’s mouths. Kagome let her hands wander, searching out the planes of his neck and shoulders, slipping down his arms to trace the trim muscles with her fingertips. The two slid to their knees, kissing and exchanging fleeting caresses.

Inuyasha shivered, his eyes drifting closed as her fingers danced over his body. She teased his nipples, watching him tilt his head backwards. A soft growl emanated from his throat as a smile graced his lips; his body revealed enjoyment of her actions. She paid close attention to his expression as her touch drifted lower and lower across his abdomen. His stomach muscles fluttered slightly as her fingers drew near and she caught sight of his mouth twitching in a repressed smile. A playful urge overcame her and she couldn’t resist trying... her hands spread to his sides and she tickled him lightly, waiting to see how he responded. He snickered once and she continued to tickle him, breaking the heated mood with an uncontrolled burst of laughter from Inuyasha as he tried to shield his abdomen and sides from her dexterous hands. His expression turned from helplessly amused to dangerously aroused as he caught her wrists and forced her to the ground beneath them.

The dreamscape shifted around them, the gray filling with muted colors and their surroundings taking on the texture of something soft, like sheets. The changes went unnoticed by the pair, however, as Inuyasha was focused solely on her soft cry and scrunched face as he brushed her breasts with his rough hands. He put his weight on his left arm as he leaned over her, and their legs intertwined as they lay together. His right leg slipped between hers as he ran his right thumb over her bare breasts. He looked up at her with a sad expression on his face as he pleased her, and she caught his hand and stopped him, waiting to hear what he wanted to say.

“I’ve... only been exposed to this,” he began, looking away. “Just once, that night when I was cursed...” He looked down at her, tracing a finger across her jaw line. “I know what I want, but I’m afraid I don’t know much of what I’m doing, aside from those dreams we’ve shared before...” he looked at her sheepishly, “and I know some things about women, but Kikyo was violent...”

She pressed her hand to his mouth so quickly that it was nearly a slap, responding, “This isn’t that horrible night. This is something special, and you’ll learn the way you should have.” She reached up and caressed his face, running her fingertips up his face and through his bangs. “Just, gently. We’ll start out gently, and work our way from there, alright?” she smiled up at him reassuringly. “Now, touch me again!” she demanded, a playful grin gracing her lips as she placed his hand back to her bosom.

He smiled down at her as he resumed his caresses, watching her nipple distend as he stroked his thumb across it. He leaned down and laved the skin with his tongue, tasting her flesh and teasing her senses, and she gasped as his mouth closed around the nipple. He was focusing on the subtle shifts in the noises she made as he altered his actions, trying to find the touches and caresses that pleasured her most.

In her haze of pleasure, she caught sight of his ears twitching and reached for one, stroking the back with the tip of her index finger. He shuddered at the small action, squeezing her breast before switching to give the other the same attention from his mouth. Curious as to the sensitivity, she lifted her other hand from his neck to his ear. She carefully wrapped her fingers around the thin flesh and stroked his ears from base to tip, covering every inch with small rubs as she progressed.

He dropped her nipple from his gentle ministrations to groan in pleasure, his eyes drifting closed as she repeated the action. Her breasts fell forgotten as he growled, pressing bodily into her. His eyes remained closed in pleasure; his mouth blindly sought hers for a kiss as he edged his other leg between hers. Settling into a comfortable spot, he rocked his hips forward into hers, sliding his achingly hard member across the soft flesh at the juncture of her thighs.

Her loud moan urged him on, and his hand snaked past her hip to her outer thigh, reaching below the leg to lift her knee. She gasped as he nipped her shoulder and neck, giving small teasing bites up her flesh to her mouth, where he sucked on her lip. Her fingers traced his back and waist, one of her hands reaching to his rear for a good fondle. ‘Very nice ass...’ she thought as she squeezed and cupped the hard muscular flesh, hoping to urge his actions on.

He met her gaze as she tugged on him, adjusting his length with his free hand to slip slightly between her wet folds. He watched the expressions crossing her face as he sunk into her slowly, wanting to draw out this initial moment of intimate contact for as long as possible, however surreal it was. It was strange and exciting in a sense, the idea that they were making love as souls, rather than bodies. She arched beneath him, wrapping her legs about him and crying out in pleasure as he seated fully within her, only to withdraw just as slowly.

The smell of her arousal had steadily grown over the last moments, and Inuyasha felt his control fade as their surroundings grew darker. She raked her nails over his back urging his haste with a mumbled “Faster,” but he simply growled at her request and pushed back in just as slowly, trying to keep hold of his senses as he watched her writhe beneath him. She moaned loudly at the feel of him filling her, and something tingled his senses, stirring his consciousness as he repeated the slow withdrawal again.

He thrust himself back in, fast and hard, watching her face as she shouted out loud from the sensation. His ears twitched again, feeling something nagging at him. He continued the teasing gliding in and out of her willing body, waiting to see how and if that strange feeling came back to him again. Sure enough, as she screamed from another hard thrust he felt it again, as if something fought to wake him; he was losing the connection to this dreamscape. Urgency filled his veins, for he wanted to give her all she desired before they parted in wakefulness. Abandoning all playful teasing, he rocked his hips hard against her, grinding against her pelvis while devouring her mouth in a lust-filled kiss. Their tongues ran rampant between them, stroking teeth and lips, sucking and biting in an uncontrolled expression of passion, broken only by the sounds emanating from the both of them in rhythm with their hips meeting.

Her kiss broke off suddenly and she lost her ability to speak for a moment, trying to form words while she continued to move erratically with him. That’s when he felt it, a strange fluttering sensation; a mental tickle that told him she was close to the edge. He was quite sure if she’d had taken a breath before she came, she’d have screamed loudly enough to wake them both. Her intense orgasm washed over him in warm waves of euphoria, as though he was experiencing her pleasure. He shuddered and came from the sensory overload, groaning as he emptied himself within her.

They both woke with a start, covered in a sheen film of sweat, their hair plastered to their foreheads and their bodies molded together as they had been in the dream. They took a moment to catch their breaths, still feeling the aftershocks of their dream tryst before they noticed what had happened while they slept. They sat up together, and with a confused look, Kagome reached a hand behind her back, finding the mangled waistband of her jeans. Her confusion shifted to annoyance as she looked at him. Inuyasha gulped and looked behind her to see the damage he’d done to her clothes. Her jeans had been sliced from her right hip to her left knee from the back. “I liked these jeans...” she frowned, fingering the slice that ran down her leg.

“Sorry,” he muttered, feeling stupid for his lack of control as they slept, feeling guilty that he had completely seduced her in her sleep, and feeling terrible that he could have hurt her in the process.

She leaned back, pulling him forward to lie on her as she stroked his hair. “It’s all right, Inuyasha. We can go buy new jeans later...” she said softly, hoping that he wouldn’t feel bad about it. She missed the stricken expression that crossed his features as all kinds of terrible possibilities crossed his thoughts.

‘I could have cut her, bit her, killed her...’ he worried, wondering if he would be able to keep her safe from him if they ever did such a thing again...

“Inuyasha?” she asked, tweaking his ears to get his attention.

“Huh?” he replied, looking lost.

“I said, did you want to try and get more sleep, or take a shower?” she asked, a smile gracing her lips. “It’s still dark outside...”


o.O


Author’s Note:

Forgive my extensive use of OCs, but I liked making people up to fit the slots. And plus, this saves room for using the unused canon names in a prequel that I’ve been wanting to write, given spare time this semester, that is. ;) The delay in writing/posting is due to the fact that my husband came home from a six-month deployment overseas the very morning after I posted chapter 17, followed shortly by a move from Hawaii to Texas, followed by my second semester of college!!

LOL, talk about timing. Hope everyone had a happy holiday. OH, before I forget... I’m considering either A, turning this into a continuing series of chapters, documenting the adventures Kagome and Inuyasha get into after the main storyline is resolved... or, B, finishing up with the main plot and calling it even, modifying what little plot my pathetic writer’s mind has scrounged up into something that has a finished feel to it. Either way, the end to the main madness will arrive before too long... it just depends on whether or not you guys are interested in my writing THAT much. Bleh, for those of you who have an opinion either way, email me. :D

Yes, long LONG chapter... but there just wasn’t a good breaking point, I think.

OMG, lol, don’t lynch me for making everyone so OOC this story. I’m just having fun. :D What with Kaede winking and being all cute and watching soaps... XD

Oh, yeah, no illustrations for a while, drawing for class is keeping me so busy it’s hard to find time to type this fic. :( Hopefully I didn’t completely screw up this chapter with all the changes I’ve made, going back and forth... right.

Thanks for reading and keeping up with me, guys. - Ales
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