InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Strike By Night ❯ Not Her Day ( Chapter 6 )

Strike By Night

Chapter 6: Not Her Day

Disclaimer: Inu Yasha is not mine. They belong to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.

Note: I don't know if the content of this chappie is appropriate for PG-13. Do I need up the rating?

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Last Chapter:

Mysterious but murderous luggage, a fight, and returned lingerie are what accompanied Kagome as she moved into the Fukaimori mansion. Sesshoumaru has developed feelings for Kagome, but stubbornly refuses to come to terms with it. Where's Kagome? She had a meeting with Sango and Miroku about a new lead. But it seems someone has other plans about her life.

Leaving her apartment, Kagome got into her car and reread the letter that she had found in her mailbox. This was probably the tenth time she had to reread the letter since she found it. It was an evacuation notice; her landlord was kicking her out in two weeks because she was "disrupting" the other tenants. Disruption my butt, thought Kagome as she started the ignition of her car and pulled out. The landlord only wants to kick her out because she refused to sleep with him, the pervert.

Unfortunately, this was a very bad time for this to be happening. Kagome hadn't gotten so much as an offer for an assignment since the Naraku incident and now she also had to find a new place to live. And this was on top of trying to find Naraku's killer, of which every lead seemed to be a dead end. Kagome desperately hoped Miroku had come up with something promising because she felt like she was going to lose her mind soon from the pressure. The killer was going to pay, oh yes he was, Kagome thought as her eyes narrowed. He would pay for screwing up her life like this. So preoccupied was Kagome that she never noticed the small puddle of liquid that had formed under her car.

Kagome cruised along, her anger for vengeance diminishing as she drove. Upon cresting a hill, Kagome tapped her brakes to slow her car down as she went down the steep slope. No response. This time Kagome pressed harder on the brake pedal. Still no response. Kagome started to worry now. Pushing the brake pedal as far back as it would go, Kagome's greatest fear was realized when was there still was no response. Her brakes weren't working! Full panic now set in. Kagome watched as her speedometer climbed, fifty…sixty. Her car was now careening downhill as an insane speed. Kagome was dimly aware of the other cars as she flew by them. One thought kept flashing through her mind: I'm going to die. Her vision blurred and hysteria threatened to overwhelm her. Thankfully, there weren't many cars on the road with her.

Just as Kagome was going to give in to the bubbling hysteria, something gripped her mind. I am NOT going to die like this, she thought. Mom and Souta, they'll be devastated if I left them. And Sango…and Miroku and Shippo…I can't do that to them. I'm only 22; I have my whole life in front of me. I want to fall in love, get married, have children; I can't die like this! New determination swept through Kagome and her thoughts became clearer. By now she was nearly down the hill.

With new determination, Kagome gripped the steering wheel and swerved to miss a car coming in at her side. She barely pulled her car back under control to avoid colliding with an incoming on from the opposite lane. When she finally had control, Kagome guided her car to the right. Driving half on the road and half off over the curb beside the road. It was an extremely bumpy ride as Kagome hoped she wouldn't flip over while she honked loudly at any car that stood in her careening path. Kagome winced each time a sign or mailbox flew by, making its mark in the form of a scratch on the side of her car. That's gotta be murder on the paint job. The thought flashed through Kagome's thoughts. She prayed the rough curb would be able to slow her car because it was the only hope she had. Running recklessly through a few red lights, Kagome grimaced when she saw the flashing lights of the police. My insurance is going to go through the roof, Kagome thought.

After a few hundred more feet, they came to an incline and Kagome felt her car visibly slow. Thank you God, thought Kagome as she loosened her death grip on her steering wheel. She saw blood rushing back to her white knuckles. A few feet later, the car came to a stop and Kagome leaned back in her seat, breathing hard, and visibly shaken at her close call to being another car accident statistic. Unfortunately, the police had followed her, and they weren't happy with the chase she had unintentionally led them on. Kagome closed her eyes and groaned when she saw them stepping out of their car. This was not her day. But at least the worst was over; she was still alive.

Thanking the mechanic, Kagome got back into her rental car. Lucky for her, the police had let her off easy after she had explained her situation. They had to check her car to verify her story, but once they believed her, they let her off with only one speeding ticket and called a tow truck for her, on account she managed not to injure anyone during her runaway flight. The mechanic at the nearest garage looked at her car and told her the problem was a loose brake line. Her car was dripping brake fluid as she drove. It was a simple problem, but the mechanic was confused to the cause since brake lines don't simply become "loose". They were sturdy and made to stay connected to the car. Only a very strong force could have loosened them. Kagome was greatly unnerved by the news and ordered a rental car to take her home because the mechanic needed a few days to fix the paint job on her car door. It would be easier to call a cab, but Kagome wanted to keep her vehicular freedom.

Kagome opened the front door and cautiously stepped in. Seeing no one around, Kagome let out a sigh of relief. Though Inu Yasha rang her in at the gate, he didn't question why she was driving a different car, and Kagome was glad he wasn't waiting for her at the door, or Sesshoumaru for that matter. There was too much on her mind. She simply didn't have to energy to face them too.

Plopping down on her bed, Kagome sat Indian style and opened the package Miroku had given her. Tired as she was and her body was screaming at her to get some rest, but she knew she needed to resolve some of her problems, and soon. She aimlessly flipped through everything, skimming parts of interest before moving on. It was very distracting and she appreciated it. "One…two…three…four…five…six WOW, five assassins beside me and Sesshoumaru. Miroku-san wasn't kidding. This guy REALLY wasn't liked was he?" commented Kagome as she put aside Sesshoumaru's profile folder, which was also included, for later.

But the mere mention of Sesshoumaru's name sent Kagome's mind reeling back to the comment earlier and this time, her mind wasn't budging until she resolved this. "I think you'd look great in it." Kagome could still hear Sesshoumaru's voice as if he was still right beside her. It was so real, in fact, Kagome had to look around to make sure she was actually alone in her room. At that time, his words had sent electric sparks down Kagome's body both from the shock at his suggestion and…could she believe it, anticipation. When he was so close that time, Kagome could smell his scent, the blend was unidentifiable, but definitely masculine and definitely Sesshoumaru, the elegance and musk suiting him perfectly. The more she thought, the deeper Kagome fell into the memory. She could feel his broad chest as he stood behind her, and his arms, which hung at both sides, move forward, as if to cradle her within their grasp, but never touching her skin. Kagome almost wished that those strong arms would encircle her within their protective grasp so she could lean into that muscular chest and lose herself in that alluring scent and let everything else melt away.

Unknown to Kagome though, the more she relived the memory, the further back she leaned into the pair of imaginary arms. Until finally, her body fell back against the bed and her head collided with the headboard, successfully killing the mood of her daydream. "OUCH!" Kagome cried out, pulling herself up and rubbing her poor head. Now that Kagome was back in her senses, the prospect of lying in Sesshoumaru's arms wasn't quite so exhilarating. (heck, I'd gladly take him if you don't want to) "I can't be falling for him," Kagome told herself. "I've only just met him and he's been nothing but cold to me. Cold, rude and arrogant. "

"But he carried you to your room last night. And just whose house do you think you are living in?" Kagome's inner self retorted.

"Only while we are searching for a killer. I mean, come on, how romantic is that? If I'm going to fall in love with anyone, it's going to with someone nice, and NORMAL. He would be sweet, caring, and have a NORMAL job, not be an assassin. So when I marry, I can quit this job and have a normal life." Kagome tried to convince herself.

"So you mean you want to fall in love with Hojo?" Kagome's inner self asked.

`Uh, well…maybe someone a little more interesting than that." Kagome answered.

"Well, good luck and call me back if you ever do," the inner self replied a little too happily.

Rather incredulous that her inner self had abandoned her, Kagome sat in shock until out of the corner of her eye, Kagome caught sight of a folder with a neon green post-it note on the cover. Grateful for the distraction, she shoved everything aside and grabbed the folder. Opening it immediately, Kagome perused through the contents.

After becoming immersed in the information for a good half hour, and evaluating the facts to be accurate, Kagome felt confident that she had finally found the target. Mentally thanking Miroku for his genius at research, Kagome felt it was time to rub Sesshoumaru's nose in her success.

Gleefully running to the door, Kagome pulled it open, only to stop suddenly in the doorway as she remembered her last conversation with him. "Come on Kagome," Kagome tried to recover her courage. "You are not afraid of him. It was embarrassing that time, to say the least, but you are not going to hide from him! You are not going to feed that conceited jerk's ego and let him think he has any power over me. I, Kagome Higurashi, am afraid of no man!" Feeling much more confidant, Kagome took a deep breath and proceeded to find Sesshoumaru.

Finding him wasn't hard. Within minutes, Kagome found Sesshoumaru in his study, still at it at the computer. He gave no sign of acknowledgement when she entered and if possible, seemed to glare at her without shifting his eyes when she walked in. Seeing him in person brought back a rush of memories about their previous confrontation and sent nearly all the confidence that Kagome had built up scuttling back out the door. But she'd come too far to back down now. "How's the research coming?" Kagome asked, keeping the voice calm.

"Well," was his curt reply.

Although slightly irritated at his brusqueness, Kagome was still undeterred in her objective. She knew the results would be well worth the nerve-wracking hostility that she was experiencing right now. "I've found our target"

This got Sesshoumaru's attention. "Really? Pray tell," he turned around to face Kagome, intense golden eyes challenging and skeptical.

Kagome threw the profile folder to Sesshoumaru, where he snatched it out of the air, without losing one page. "Impressive," he commented as he studied the contents of the folder.

"Is that the best you could come up with?" asked Kagome, quite disappointed at his lack of reaction.

"Would you prefer: Congratulations. I'm impressed. You have proven that you can back up your boasts." Kagome only grinned as she accepted the praise. Ahhh, ego trip. Even though it wasn't the excitement she had hoped for from him, she knew how rare it would be to have Sesshoumaru to even admit as much as he did.

"So what are we going to do?" Kagome asked. She was still fuming over what the premature death on Naraku had cost her.

"We, are not going to do anything. I, am going to pay this guy a little visit. But I will certainly give him a message from you."

"I don't think so." Sesshoumaru's answer took Kagome entirely by surprise and she wasn't pleased with the recent turn of events. This has been a VERY long day. With all that's happened, Kagome was surprised it was still the same day. Nonetheless, this was the last straw. Kagome purposely strode toward him, rapidly closing the distance between them. "Listen," Kagome placed a hand on the desk, her voice controlled and dangerous. " I don't know who you think you are, but you have no right to tell me what to do. I came here for my own reason, NOT to be your underling. I am not someone you can control, do you understand!

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. He was, actually, speechless, something that rarely happened. This was different from the tantrums that she threw before, he noticed; she was serious this time. And she looked radiant. Her passion made her eyes glow. They were piercing, intense, and beautiful. The lighting threw shadows around parts of her face, making her seem mysterious as well. Her scent engulfed him and the close proximity of her face, from when she kept leaning down as she spoke, was entrancing. All he wanted to do was close that short distance between their lips. Needless to say, he found her highly arousing at the moment.

Seeing he wasn't going to reply, Kagome continued. "And from what I see, I was the one who found our target. I was being nice in showing it to you when I could have just as well kept it a secret and gone after the target on my own. And you could have done nothing to stop me. It seems I overestimated your abilities in cooperation. But regardless of whether or not approve, I will go after him," concluded Kagome, straightening up and turning to leave.

" I am simply trying to protect you. If this man actually killed Naraku, then he is infinitely more dangerous than you perceive. You would not be able to defeat him on your own; he would have killed you.

"Which is why you would have been along. But for your information, I can take care of myself. I have before I met you, and there is no reason why I would be unable now. I am NOT helpless," Kagome informed Sesshoumaru coolly and she slammed the door on her way out.

When she was gone, Sesshoumaru let out a exasperated sigh. The girl is impossible, he thought. Looking down at the evident bulge in his pants, Sesshoumaru decided a very cold shower was in order.

Watching Kagome stomp to her room, Inu Yasha, who had been passing by, shook his head and continued on his way. "Feh. You think they'd just admit they're attracted to each other and save us all a lot of earache."

In her room, Kagome sat on the bed. "Why is he so impossible?" Kagome mumbled to herself. Feeling the need for another dip in the hotspring, Kagome pulled herself off her bed and grabbed a change of clothing before heading for the bathroom.

Sinking deeply into the warm waters, Kagome relaxed and let the tension of the day drain from her body. The only thought in her head was to relax as she immersed herself in the tranquil environment.

As soon as Sesshoumaru entered the bathroom, he caught the scent of Kagome. Following the scent to the inner door, he concluded that she must be down in the hotspring. Sesshoumaru considered putting off his shower until the girl was out of the hotspring, but her lingering scent had aroused him even further, and he was now painfully hard. And who knows how long she would spend down there. Coming to a decision as his body cried for release, Sesshoumaru turned on the shower and decided to risk it. It was icy cold and Sesshoumaru was glad for it.

Down in the hotspring, Kagome contemplated telling someone about her near fatal car malfunction, but talked herself out of it. Sango and Miroku would worry too much. Inu Yasha would probably laugh at her and as of a few minutes ago, she wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Sesshoumaru. But somehow, Kagome just couldn't shake the feeling that it had only been a malfunction. Suddenly feeling the need to do something, Kagome unenthusiastically extracted herself from the hotspring. "It had been a short dip," remarked Kagome as she dressed again.

Making her way up the stairs, Kagome was suddenly aware of the sound of rushing water. "Did I leave the shower on?" Kagome wondered to herself. With the preoccupied state she was in when she came in, it was entirely possible. Pushing open the door, Kagome turned toward the shower, but found it occupied. Through the wavy glass doors, Kagome could make out a blurry figure with silver hair. From the height, Kagome had a dreading feeling it was Sesshoumaru. Immediately turning her head, Kagome made a beeline for the door. "At least I'm not getting absentminded," Kagome reassured herself. She was just too exhausted to even summon the energy to blush. "This is just not my day, is it?"

Kagome crawled into bed and immediately fell asleep. She was woken for dinner, which passed silently, and then went back up to her room. Feeling that she should try to find a new place to live, Kagome suddenly remembered that she hadn't gotten any newspapers. But she didn't dare go to Sesshoumaru's study again. Giving up on the way her day had turned out, Kagome promised to begin anew tomorrow, but now she was going to get some rest. Why do we always argue? Kagome wondered as she fell asleep.

Sesshoumaru had sensed Kagome's presence when she came up the stairs, however, it was MUCH sooner than he had expected. He didn't have time to get out, so he remained in the shower and hoped for a miracle that she wouldn't notice. It wasn't quite granted, but at least she left quickly. "You're going to be the death of me," Sesshoumaru mumbled after Kagome had left and quickly got out after that.

Several hours later, Kagome awoke again. It was the middle of the night, but she was extremely thirsty. Kagome contemplated whether of not she could find her way to the kitchen in the dark. Figuring she had a fair chance, Kagome got out of bed and pulled on a robe. Moving carefully downstairs, Kagome had no problems finding the kitchen. It might have something to do with the fact that the kitchen light was on.

Stepping in, Kagome met the gaze of the last person in the world she wanted to see right now: Sesshoumaru. He obviously felt the same, Kagome sensed, even though his face was unreadable as ever. You hate me, don't you? Both asked silently in unison, eyes toward the ceiling. (namely, they're asking God)

"Um, hi." Kagome tried to make some conversation even though her body wanted nothing more than to turn around and run back up to her room. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No. Did you want anything?"

"A glass of water." Sesshoumaru took a cup from the cabinet and filled it with water from a nearby pitcher. He set the glass on the counter in front of Kagome and she reached for it.

"Do you really want to come?" Sesshoumaru asked nonchalantly, breaking the veil of silence that had fallen.

"I have a right to." Kagome kept her eyes on her glass of water.

"It won't be easy. The man is could be more dangerous than anything you've ever faced."

"I'm aware of that. I'm not an idiot. But I need to settle things with this guy personally." Sesshoumaru frowned, but did not comment. Fatigue overcame Kagome and she decided it was time to leave. Placing her empty glass on the counter, Kagome turned around and started to walk away.

"Then we leave tomorrow night." Sesshoumaru's voice started Kagome.

"What?" Turning around, Kagome didn't quite believe her ears.

Smirking, Sesshoumaru slid out from behind the counter and approached Kagome. "If you insist on coming, then I must keep an eye on you. We will leave tomorrow night. You will not be late." With that, he passed her and soon disappeared into the enveloping darkness beyond the doorway.

"Always the egotist," Kagome chuckled lightly to herself and turned out the lights before she too, left the kitchen.

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A/N: next chapter will be a lot more action. Kag and Sess get to nab the bad guy, but is he their true target?

Just in case confusion occurs now or later, plot has changed a bit so I've made some changes to earlier chapters. Nothing major since the overall plot is still the same.

Big thanks to my continuous reviewers: InusGirl, HellzAznGrl, Sesshoumaru lover, and Malik's Girl. Luv ya guys!

mandi-chan: thank you for reading my other story and giving me ur opinion on it. I really appreciate it.

Ja ne.

--hitokiri*seraphim