InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ You Are Never Alone ❯ Throwing Caution to the Wind ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: So, the update is long overdue, I know -_- One thing I want to explain about this chapter, since I'm not sure how obvious it is (or maybe I'm just denser than most), is that every section that ends with `…' means that the next section is a time jump. I've tried to write how much time has passed in each section, but sometimes it interrupted the flow so I took it out.

Hmm…anything else? I don't think so…oh, the ending is kind of abrupt, I know, but it's a kind of…feel good ending, I guess, before we really get into it. I'm predicting maybe three more chapters after this…maybe only two; we'll see how entangled I get in plot holes ^_^

Enjoy.

 

Chapter 4

Throwing Caution to the Wind

 

 

Dark eyes freckled with violet and maroon reflected in dark glass around flecks of white. He refused to turn the lights on, wanted nothing more than to smash the mirror before him.

You're repulsive.

He had locked himself in his apartment, had been ignoring the musical trill of his cell phone since sundown. He had turned all of the lights off, had covered almost every reflective surface in the place except for the small mirror that was lying on the living room table.

There had been those few weeks of complete contentment with himself, those weeks that were usually few and far between for Inuyasha when he had felt like the world was no longer out to get him, that there was someone out there who accepted him for who he was.

And then the rotation of the earth and moon, the continual motion of the universe just had to go and fuck everything up.

He scowled at short, midnight hair that now matched the color of his couch. He hated this, hated being human almost as much as he loathed the thought of his youkai taking over. But, at least if that happen, he wouldn't feel so…so weak, so insensible of everything around him. It wasn't until that one night of the month, when the stars reigned supreme without the dominating light of the moon, that Inuyasha realized how much he relied on his demon side. Late this afternoon, he had been caught unawares by Miroku, his senses not as sharp as they usually were, and his friend had just given him a sympathetic grin.

“Just think, tomorrow it will all be over,” Miroku had said.

Yeah, and then just another twenty-nine days until it all happens again.

It was like being stuck in a fairytale; except his curse had been cast at the moment of conception and it was damn unlikely that there would be a fairy godmother at the end of the story.

Inuyasha scowled as he emptied a small baggie of white powder onto the mirror, obscuring his reflection. He was mad at himself for not planning better for this, was mad because he hadn't been able to get a hold of any coke and had to resort to a goddamn horse tranquilizer -which would get him nicely stuck, but only for about twenty minutes before he had to do more- and was trying to be mad at a certain raven-haired woman for driving him to near distraction.

He turned on the television and proceeded to make two neat rails on the mirror with a credit card. He couldn't find his damn razor blades, had to resort to rolling up a dollar bill because he was too lazy at this point to search for anything else. He found a movie on the television that wouldn't annoy him too much and made himself comfortable on the floor before bending over and snorting the long line of white powder.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Inuyasha slumped back against the couch, his eyelids drooping as though they were too heavy for him to hold open anymore. Every muscle in his body became limp and he found that nothing really mattered much anymore.

The house phone rang on the wall in the kitchen behind him, a dull sound that seemed to reach his human ears a second after it had already occurred. He ignored it, wouldn't have been able to get up to answer it even if he wanted to at this point, and waited for the machine to pick up.

A voice that was at once recognizable and yet completely unfamiliar drifted over the sound of the television. Inuyasha stared up at the ceiling, trying to understand what was being said, but couldn't quite comprehend it.

By the time he was doing his fifth line, he had forgotten about the phone, the answering machine, and anything else of consequence. By the time he was doing his tenth, he felt a tingling sensation begin in the tips of his toes, spread up through his legs as though he had been sitting on them the wrong way and they were slowly loosing blood and becoming numb. At first, he thought he was having a heart attack and almost panicked.

I do not want to die as a human!

As he slowly became unstuck, he blinked to clear his vision, looked vaguely down at his hands, thinking that it was odd to see the shortened, dull fingernails grow so quickly into deadly sharp talons. He felt his canines lengthen and press against his bottom lip, leaned his head back, his silvery-white hair sharply contrasting with the black couch. His ears twitched on top of his head and Inuyasha sighed in relief.

The beep of the answering machine started to become irritating. Inuyasha carefully unfolded himself from his position on the floor, made his way slowly to the phone, his muscles protesting the movement. He groaned, feeling as though he had just been beaten to near death.

Never again, he told himself as he pressed play on the phone.

He half listened to the date and time mechanically announced by the recorded woman's voice, was about to press the erase button when there was nothing but silence. Just as his finger hovered over the button, he heard a deeply indrawn breath.

“Hey, Inuyasha-san, it's Kagome. I know that you said we shouldn't see each other, or talk to each other, but,” she sighed, “Mama wanted me to call you and invite you to tea tomorrow afternoon.” There was a small pause and Inuyasha could just see her ivory colored skin flushed across the cheeks. “I hope you don't mind me calling like this. I got your number from Miroku-san.” Another pause and Inuyasha found himself grinning slightly despite himself. “Anyway, if you get this, I guess just give me a call back. Um, I'll talk to you later.”

There was the click of her hanging up and the machine moved on to the next message.

“Um…it's Kagome again. I guess it would help if I gave you my number, huh?”

Inuyasha chuckled softly as she rattled off her cell phone number, knowing that she had probably been blushing furiously the whole time. He contemplated the phone for a while, wondering if he should call her back or not. It was early -very early- the light of the sun just starting to turn the sky a pale blue, chasing away the sparkling stars. Deciding that he could take care of this later, he put a kettle of water on the stove and went to take a shower.

Leaning against outstretched arms, Inuyasha let his head fall, let the nearly scalding water run through his hair, over his shoulders and arms, down his back and chest. What was he doing? He had made the right decision the night of the Hanami Gala, telling her that they couldn't see each other again. And yet…and yet, he was drawn to this woman in a way that he hadn't been to anyone since…since…

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it, not wanting to acknowledge the nauseating fist of apprehension that clenched in his stomach. He would follow his instincts, steer clear of her…call her back only to decline her mother's invitation. Which would be unforgivably rude considering that Higurashi-sama had been nothing but polite to him for no reason other than the fact that she…liked him, Inuyasha suddenly realized and almost laughed out loud -the idea of someone's mother liking and approving of him almost too much…

 

~~

Kagome sighed as she sank up to her chin in scalding hot water. She blew away a mountain of bubbles that had concentrated in front of her and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

Just as she felt every muscle in her body completely relax, there was a knock on her front door.

“You've got to be kidding me,” she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

She didn't move for a minute, hoped that whoever was out there would think that she wasn't home and leave. She opened one eye, let the breath that she was holding go, and would have sighed again in relief if another knock, slightly louder than the first, hadn't sounded from the front of her apartment again.

Muttering curses even she wasn't aware that she knew, Kagome climbed out of the bathtub, wrapped herself in a large, thick towel, and stomped toward the door, swiping off the remains of bubbles as she went.

“Someone had better be seriously injured or dead, because I'm-“

She broke off as she yanked the door open, looking up into wide golden eyes that reflected her own surprise.

“Inuyasha,” she managed.

His eyes ran over her and she could have killed herself for answering the door in a towel. She was hyper-aware of the way her hair was pulled up and was strangling around her face, wet strands sticking to the back of her neck. She knew that there were still bubbles attached to her back, could feel them on her bare legs, could hear the way they softly whispered like the ghosts of cheerful children in the absolute silence of the apartment. When his eyes eventually roamed back up to her own, Kagome could feel the blood suffuse itself over her cheeks as she saw a small smile start at the corners of his lips.

“I need to talk to you,” he said.

Kagome shifted her weight uncomfortably. “Right now?” she asked, thinking forlornly of the hot water in the bathroom that would begin to grow tepid. When he nodded, she sighed, backed away from the door and motioned for him to come in. “You interrupted a very nice bath,” she told him over her shoulder as she escorted him to the living room. “Give me a minute to put some clothes on.”

She stumbled as she felt strong fingers unexpectedly wrap around her wrist and pull her back around. She could feel the heat radiating from him and being so close to him was like being punched in the stomach -without the pain. Her lungs refused to function and she could do nothing but stare up at him as he reached up to follow the path of a drop of water that was making its slow way down the length of her neck and over her collarbone. She felt her flesh shiver like a cat's when the claw lightly scratched her.

“I can't stay long,” he said, softly, watching his finger as it traced over the exposed skin of her shoulder. “But this wasn't something I wanted to talk about over the phone.” He paused, licked his lips. He seemed unable to look away from her throat, seemed to have to make a conscious effort to look back up into her eyes. “I had tea with your mother yesterday,” he said.

Kagome felt puzzlement crease her brow. This was what was so important that he had to drag her out of her bath? She almost growled at him. “Yeah, I know,” she said, instead.

“We talked…about a lot of things. But mostly, about you.”

She had suspected it would happen and was surprised that she wasn't embarrassed in the slightest at this confirmation. She waited a moment for Inuyasha to continue and grew a little impatient when he didn't. “Is there more? Or am I just standing here nearly naked for a good reason?”

He smiled slightly. “I like you like this,” he said, softly. “It's,” he licked his lips again, “prurient.” He reached up, traced the line of her throat, ran his finger over her lips. “I know I said that we would only bring trouble into each other's lives -and I still think that's true. But…” he shrugged. “I'm just not sure that I can stay away from you,” he finished. “I'm willing to risk it if you are. I've nothing to lose anymore, though,” he added. “You still have a reputation, a social status that could be endangered by being with me.” He paused, looked away from her and out the living room window. “Also, I'm sure that your father and Akitoki-san's parents will be…less than thrilled.”

Something inside of her felt like it was reaching out, felt like the questing fingers of a blind woman reaching for Inuyasha and urging her toward him. Kagome slipped her hands around his waist and leaned her forehead against his warm, hard chest. She felt him tense for a moment and then felt his arms slowly go around her, felt his chin resting on the top of her head. If they could just stay that way…

 

~~

“You're going to kill us!”

Kagome watched as Inuyasha's ear twitched back toward her, but if he gave a response she didn't hear it over the roar of the wind and the sudden explosion of sound. Purple lights danced around them as they drifted down, brilliant flares illuminating the heavy clouds of smoke in the air. She clutched to Inuyasha's neck in sheer terror, only loosening her grip when she felt the warning growl rumble against her chest that meant she was choking him.

His muscles bunched between her legs and they were soaring once again just as another firework burst below them, the golden orbs flaring out like the petals of a blossoming flower before zinging off in hundreds of directions like illuminated bees.

When they finally settled back down on the roof of his apartment, Kagome snuggled close to Inuyasha's warmth, resting her head on his shoulder as they gazed up to watch the end of the fireworks show.

“That was fun,” she said, softly.

“You thought you were gonna die,” Inuyasha said, matter-of-factly.

“Nah, I was just…”

“Scared shitless? It certainly felt that way,” he told her, reaching up to rub his neck.

Kagome chuckled. “Just…uncertain,” she said. “It's not everyday a girl gets an up close and personal view of something that could blow her arm off.”

“Wouldn't have happened,” Inuyasha said, confidently.

“It could have.”

“Never.”

“How can you be so sure?”

He sat up and gathered her in his lap, his lips brushing across her cheek. “Because,” he murmured. “I'd take a hole in my chest before I ever let anything hurt you.”

“That's a little extreme, don't you think?” She tried to keep her voice steady, tried to concentrate on the subject at hand, but it was just so damn hard when his lips were moving over her neck like that.

“Mmm,” came Inuyasha's reply from the hollow of her shoulder. “But it's the truth.”

“Why are you so protective?”

She felt his lips hesitate along the curve of her collarbone, could have killed herself for asking the one thing that would make him stop.

“I'm part inu-youkai,” he reminded her. “We protect the bitches of the pack at all costs.”

“What happens if you can't?” Kagome asked, softly.

She watched as gold turned to dark amber and he looked away from her, settled back onto the roof again, the back of his head cradled in his hands. The array of lights from the fireworks splashed across his face, making his expression go from brooding green, to ominous red, to morose blue. Kagome sat motionless where she was, feeling suddenly like she had tread on forbidden ground.

“What happens if you can't?” Inuyasha repeated, just as softly. “Well, then I suppose the pack falls apart and you're alone.”

Kagome sensed the pain that was woven through his words, reached out to touch him, but pulled away at the last minute.

“I'm going to make some tea,” she said at last, getting to her feet. “Would you like some?”

She saw him nod, walked carefully toward the trap door that led down into the living room. Just as she was climbing down the ladder, she hesitated, looked back over her shoulder to Inuyasha's motionless form.

“Yasha?” she whispered, knew he had heard her by the movement of his ear. “Just so you know, as long as I'm around, you never have to be alone.”

She paused for a moment longer, waiting to see if he would say anything. When he remained silent, she shook her head, berating herself mentally for being a sentimental fool and made her way down the ladder. As she was crossing the living room, she suddenly felt warm arms wrap around her waist, felt herself being pulled against a firm body. She twisted in his grip so that she could look up into his face.

“Promise?” he asked, his voice hushed.

Kagome's heart could have broken at the child-like hope that laced his voice, the questioning fear that shone from his eyes. She reached up, brushed his bangs from his eyes, wrapped her finger around one of the locks that framed his face, tugging on it until his face was just inches from hers.

“Promise,” she swore to him, feeling herself become warm all over when he smiled down on her…

 

~

“So, the sex is good, right? I mean, does he get all animal-like and try to hump your leg every time you walk into the room?”

“I'm not talking about this with you.” Dark-grey eyes narrowed. “But since we're on the subject, what about Miroku? You certainly have been spending an awful lot of time with him.”

Sango's cheeks flared and Kagome's laugh eventually resolved itself into a smug smirk.

“You talk to Sesshy-kun lately?” Sango asked, holding up a white tank top Kagome had discarded.

“Yes. It seems that love was in the air during the Hanami gala,” came Kagome's muffled reply as she buried herself in her closet. “Where the hell is that shirt?” She extracted herself from the clothing and looked over at Sango. “Are you sure I didn't let you borrow it?”

“Not positive,” Sango said. “So who'd Sesshy-kun meet? Anyone we know?”

Kagome raised an eyebrow. “Oh, no. I'm not going to start gossiping with you until you tell me about Miroku-san.”

Sango pouted and, when that didn't work, gave an indignant huff. “Fine,” she conceded. “We've gone on a few dates,” she said. “He seems…nice enough.”

“Nice enough? What does that mean?”

“Well, you know…” Sango trailed off with a shrug.

“He's that good in bed?”

Sango looked up at Kagome, surprise instantly replaced by contentment as she fell back on the pile of clothes that surrounded her on the bed. “You can't even imagine,” she sighed.

Kagome laughed. “I'm sure I don't want to,” she said, scrunching her nose up in disgust.

“What about Inuyasha?” Sango pried. When Kagome shook her head, Sango sat upright and peered at her. “You mean you haven't?”

“No.”

“Not even…?”

“Well, a little of that. But it never goes too far.”

Chocolate eyes narrowed. “Does he have…problems?”

Kagome laughed. “I'm pretty sure everything is okay,” she said.

“Then what is it? You two have been together for, what? Nearly four months now?”

Kagome sighed and perched on the bed next to her friend. “He's afraid he's going to hurt me,” she said.

“Hurt you? Like leave a few bruises?” Sango asked.

“Not exactly. More like shred my flesh to ribbons.” Kagome grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her stomach. “He's so afraid that he won't even come near me sometimes.”

“Isn't he in some kind of danger from you?” Sango asked. “What about all that priestess stuff?”

Kagome shrugged. “It was one of the things I talked to my grandfather about,” she told the brunette. “But he couldn't really tell me much.” Kagome rested her head on the pillow she was holding and sighed.

“Maybe you should ask Sesshy-kun about it,” Sango suggested. A small grin touched her mouth. “It would be less awkward than asking your grandfather why you can't have a tumble in the sheets with an inu-hanyou.”

Kagome laughed and threw her pillow at Sango. “True,” she admitted, thoughtfully…

 

~~

“I have a surprise for you.”

Inuyasha watched as her grey eyes went wide. “A surprise?” Kagome asked, a little warily.

He smiled, handed her a small box. “Here.”

He saw the pulse in her neck jump, watched as she looked from the box to him and back. “What is this?” she asked, her eyes narrowed.

He sighed, a little irked that she was suspecting him of some imagined deviousness. “Just open it,” he said.

She did as he told her, slowly opening the velveteen, rectangular box and peeking inside. Apparently deciding it was safe, she opened it all the way, pulled out the contents and held them up, her eyes looking at him questioningly. “Keys?” she asked.

He couldn't resist the grin that broke over his face. “Yes, keys.”

She was puzzled; he could tell by the way her brow creased. “To what?” she asked, looking down at the two silver objects in her hand.

“Put your shoes on and I'll show you.”

Kagome narrowed her eyes again. “What are you playing at, Yasha?” she asked.

He sighed again. “Would you just trust me and put your shoes on?”

She pursed her lips and, just as he thought she would demand to know what was going on, she nodded. She slipped her flip-flops on, followed him as he led her down the stairs of his apartment and to his car.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“The whole point of a surprise is that you don't know,” Inuyasha pointed out.

“I'm not sure I like this,” she said. “The last surprise you had for me entailed a very embarrassing article of clothing.” She paused as she climbed into his car. “Which you let me open in front of Sango and Miroku -who, by the way, will never let me forget about it,” she added.

Inuyasha grinned. “This isn't like that,” he told her. “You'll like this.” He blinked, looked over at her and felt worry form a crease in his own brow. “I hope,” he said, suddenly sounding doubtful. He shook his head, trying to hide a smile. “Never mind,” he said, plucking the keys from her hand. “I've decided that I don't want to give it to you anymore.”

Kagome stared at him. “What?” she asked, completely confused. Inuyasha suppressed a chuckle. “You can't do that!” she exclaimed. “You can't just give someone something and then decide to take it back!”

“I haven't really given you anything yet,” he pointed out. “Just some keys that you have no idea what they're for.”

Kagome glared at him and the urge to smile was suddenly too much. “What are you grinning about?” she asked. Her eyes narrowed. “You're doing this on purpose! Give me those!”

She reached across the car to snatch the keys from him, but Inuyasha pulled his hand back, shaking his head. “No,” he said. “You don't want them.”

He congratulated himself on his ruse when he felt her breast press against his arm as she made another grab for the keys. “Yes, I do,” she said, not noticing how he had shifted slightly away from her, how he was encouraging her to nearly climb onto his lap.

Kami, she's so…innocent.

It sent a pang of apprehension through him and he swiftly sobered. “Okay,” he said, handing her the silver objects.

She gave him a triumphant grin, clutched them in her fist. “Now, where are we going?” she asked, enthusiasm in her eyes.

He couldn't help smiling at her. “It's a surprise,” was all he said, which caused her to huff in exasperation. She opened her mouth to complain again, but Inuyasha held up a warning finger. “Don't tempt me to blindfold you.” She gave him an indignant glare, but he could see something sparkling in her eyes that belied the fierce frown. “I might just do it anyway,” he said, leaning toward her. His eyes became half-lidded as her scent spiked with anticipation and filled his nose. “You want me to?” he asked.

He could hear her heart-rate increase, looked up to see her bottom lip between her teeth, an excited flush across her cheeks. “No,” she breathed. She pulled back from him, looked up into his face, her stormy grey eyes flaring with agitation briefly even as the scent of her changed. “Because you won't do anything fun once you've done it,” she said.

Her blatant dare made him pause briefly, made his youkai flare up. Is our bitch challenging us?! He fought the urge to growl at her, to grab her and force her into submission.

“We've been over this,” he said, sitting back in his seat. “I don't want-“

“To hurt me,” she finished for him, frustration in her voice. He looked at her askance out of the corner of his eye. “But I don't think you will,” she added, twisting in her seat to look at him. “I talked to Sesshy-kun about it,” she began.

“Wait,” he cut her off, holding up a hand. “You talked to my half-brother about us?” He frowned at her when she nodded. “Why would you do that?” he asked.

Kagome blinked at him. “Well, because he's your brother and I figured-“

“Half brother,” he snarled.

Kagome matched his glare. “Whatever,” she said. “I asked him because I couldn't think of anyone else who would know more about inu-youkai and inu-hanyou than him.”

“What about me?” he asked, angrily.

“Oh, yeah right. You? You are more reluctant to talk about sex with me than a Catholic nun,” she snapped at him. “You don't want to find a way to solve the problem, you just want to hide from it or pretend it doesn't exist.” He blinked at her sudden vehemence. “It's maddening, sometimes, Inuyasha, to be in this relationship with you,” she said.

“Well, how do you think I feel with you constantly pressuring me?”

He saw her lips twitch and wondered what in the hell was so damn funny even as her eyes turned dark again. “Pressuring you? For sex?” She scoffed at him. “That's what I don't understand, Inuyasha. What you would freely do it with anyone else-“

“Not anymore,” he interjected.

She glared and he bit his tongue. “You refuse to even so much as think about it with me,” she finished. “Even now, you won't listen to me when all I'm trying to tell you is that there hasn't even been a problem for months now.”

“Stop,” he said, firmly, not wanting to hear more.

“You don't trust me?”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

“That's where you're wrong. It has everything to do with me. It's-“

“No,” he said. “I don't trust myself.” Inuyasha shook his head again, gripped the steering wheel in both hands until his knuckles turned white. Why was she doing this right now?

Kagome peered at him. “Then how do you expect me to trust you?” she asked, quietly.

That gave him pause, made him turn to look at her. “Do you?” he asked, just as quietly.

“Of course I do, Inuyasha,” she told him. “Why would you doubt that?”

He shrugged a shoulder, staring out the front window, his eyes not focused on anything in particular. “I don't know,” he said. “I don't know why you should. I don't know when the last time someone trusted me was. I can't remember a time when someone relied on me for anything.” He leaned his head back against the headrest, letting out a sigh as he let his eyes close.

“You've never had a girlfriend?” Kagome asked, softly.

He opened an eye, tilted his head in her direction to regard her. “The girls I've…dated…I wouldn't really say that they were girlfriends,” he said, drolly.

“But surely there have been people in your life that you've cared for,” Kagome insisted.

“There was, once, a very long time ago,” he admitted. “But it wasn't really like having a girlfriend,” he told her. “It was like passing notes in class, like telling your friends to tell her friends to tell her something, you know?” He smiled slightly when she nodded. “Except it happened before there were schools and cars and cell phones. She was…” he trailed off with a shrug. “A lot like you. She was from a well off family, was a very powerful miko, was very…proper.”

“What about your family?”

A muscle in Inuyasha's jaw jumped. “What family?” he asked. “My father was murdered when I was only a child in a feud that nobody but my half-brother and I remember. Sesshomaru, for his part, has never forgiven me for been the spawn of a human woman that our father dared to love after his own mother died.”

He knew the question was coming, knew he couldn't stop her from asking it. “What about Lady Izayoi?” she asked.

Inuyasha felt his lips twist into a frown. “My mother was the only person I ever knew that really loved me…unconditionally, you know? Like a mother should.” He looked down at his hands, at the long pointed claws that tipped each finger before balling them into fists. “She saved me from so much, made sure that I was happy, that I never heard the nasty things people said about me. I remember one time I was outside playing…with a red ball -which, oddly, is the only toy I remember clearly- and it got away from me. When I followed it to the feet of a group of youkai lords…they spat insults at me and I ran away. I had no idea what the words they had said to me meant and when I repeated them to my mother…it was the only time I remember seeing her angry.” He paused for a long moment, not realizing how long it had been since he had talked of such things -how much it hurt to relive them. He mentally shook himself before looking back at Kagome. “She died of a wasting disease that the doctors had no cure for at the time.”

“I'm sorry,” she murmured, reaching out to cover his hand with her own.

He shrugged the sympathy off -having never found a use for it before, he couldn't imagine accepting it now. “It happened a long time ago,” was all he said. The silence in the car was heavy, suffocating, and Inuyasha shied from it. He looked over at Kagome and wondered why she looked so…sad. “So, now that we've had a depressing trip down memory lane, are you ready for your surprise?”

Kagome gave him a small, apologetic smile. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I shouldn't have pried.”

Inuyasha shrugged. “It's not really something I like to talk about,” he admitted. He smiled reassuringly at her. “I would rather you hear it from me than someone else, though,” he said. He reached out to start the car, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a sly smile touching the corners of his lips. “Now, about that blindfold…”

 

~~

Kagome rested her head against the cool window, sighed as she curled up on the ledge. The view from here was different, but not unpleasantly so. Senso-ji and its calming presence was miles away, replaced by enormous, centuries old trees that patiently stood against the years and continued to reach up toward the sky. The uneven horizon of the city that she was so used to seeing was shielded from her by a high, grey stone wall covered in a lush green, crawling vine and made it seem as though she was completely cutoff from the outside world. Instead of making her feel disconnected or claustrophobic, Kagome felt as though she was cocooned within the warm, comforting arms of a friend.

Something outside of herself reached out, tentatively, toward her, brushed along her aura, wrapping itself around her and cradling her in a completely different way. Kagome grinned and turned to watch Inuyasha walk silently into the living room. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stopped in the doorway.

“How is it that no matter how quiet I am, I can't sneak up on you?” he asked.

Kagome tried to hide her smile as she shrugged. “I don't know,” she said, as innocently as she could. “Maybe I can just sense you.”

His eyes widened slightly and, for a minute, she thought he might take her seriously. Her hopes were dashed when he chuckled. “Yeah, that must be it.” He crossed the wood floor, letting the claws on his toes click softly against hard surface. “I found something when I was unpacking in the bedroom.”

Kagome wasn't sure she liked the gleam that had entered his eyes. She thought about ignoring his announcement but decided it would probably only fuel whatever he was up to. “Oh?” she asked, glancing back out the window, feigning disinterest. She looked back when he was silent, saw him holding out a grey piece of clothing to her. “That's not mine,” she said, glancing at it and then up at him, not sure why a small smirk had appeared on his face, but not liking it anymore than that damn sparkle in his eyes. “It must be yours.”

“Oh, it is,” he confirmed. He held it up in both hands so that she could read the front of it. She saw the faded words, felt her cheeks heat. Inuyasha held it up to his nose and inhaled deeply. “Now, I know that you said that you had washed this and then put it where you would remember to bring it to me.” He paused, contemplated the shirt for a moment. “And I would be the last person to call you a liar, considering I have to share this house with you, not to mention a bed…but it seems odd to me that it was tucked away with all of your underwear and smells more like you than it should if it had been washed once and then left out.”

Kagome willed the fierce blush away, tried to look up at him nonchalantly as she shrugged. “I don't know what to tell you,” she said.

“Tell me how long you've been wearing it.”

Kagome licked her lips, looked into his eyes, and just knew this wasn't going to resolve itself in a way that would be beneficial to her. “I just wore it that one day,” she said.

“That's your answer?”

“That's my answer.”

Inuyasha shook his head, made a tsking sound. He leaned down, nuzzled his nose against her neck and gave her a quick nip before breathing lightly against her ear as he whispered, “You're lying.”

Kagome sucked in a breath, couldn't stop the anticipatory skip of her heart, the grin that just barely touched the corners of her lips. “Am I?” she breathed.

He pulled away slightly, looked down at her, his eyes flickering down to her lips and back up as he ran the tip of his tongue down a sharp white fang. “I think you are,” he said, finally. “I think you've been wearing this since I let you borrow it.” He paused, considered her for a brief moment. “The only thing is…where? I know you wouldn't been seen in something like this outside, so you must have only worn it around your apartment…I would say in the evenings, since you probably wouldn't change in and out of it during the day.” He dropped the shirt in question on her lap, ran his hand over the softly worn material -which meant that his fingers ran up the length of her thigh. Kagome tried desperately to suppress a shiver, but couldn't quite control the way her breath hitched. Inuyasha smirked slightly before continuing. “So, you wore it in the evenings…and I'm willing to bet that you slept in it.”

The silence between them was thick with tension. Inuyasha's fingers had stopped just at the top of her leg, his thumb curling around the inside of her thigh. His face was still inches away from her own, his scent filled her nose, causing a warmth to pool low in her stomach and between her legs. She fought the nearly overwhelming urge to kiss him, to grab his hand and push her hips up against it in an effort to relieve the pressure that was building inside of her.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Kagome said, keeping her eyes locked with his as she slid off the window sill and neatly avoided touching him as she moved around him. “I'm going to start dinner.”

She was aware of his gaze burning into her back as she walked away, was hard-pressed to contain her own smile as she heard him chuckling softly behind her.

 

~~

Inuyasha sighed, completely content as he fell into the large, four-post bed. He stared up at the ceiling for awhile, listened to the faint splashing that came from the bathroom where Kagome went through her nightly ritual of bathing. He had replaced his jeans with a pair of soft flannel pajama pants, had rid himself of his shirt, and was letting his eyes drift partially closed as he rested a hand on his full stomach.

Moving here had been a good idea he suddenly realized. The estate -aptly named Yasumidokoro by the Inu-no-taisho after it had been built- had belonged to his mother when she had still been alive and it had been her favorite place to stay when being in the city wasn't absolutely necessary. After her death, Inuyasha hadn't been able to face the memories that haunted the place, had let it fall into disrepair. He had decided, after long, drawn-out debates with himself, that it was time to chase the shadows away.

A small smile touched his lips as he remembered the day he had given Kagome the keys to Yasumidokoro, as he remembered the look on her face when he had pulled into the long, winding driveway and had stopped before the huge house, telling her that it was hers now.

“Well, ours,” he had amended.

“I guess this is your way of asking me to move in with you,” she had breathed.

“It needs work,” he had warned her. The path that led up to the front door was nearly covered in grass that had been allowed to push up around the stones.

A chuckled escaped him even now as he remembered her reaction. She had looked around the overgrown, choked gardens, had slowly made her way through dark, dusty hallways and rooms, and, in the end, had turned to him with a huge smile.

“It's beautiful,” she had said.

The day after they had officially moved in, Inuyasha had been woken by a string of curses floating up through the open bedroom windows. Following the noise, he found Kagome in the back garden, wrestling with weeds that stood taller than she, her hair pulled back and dirt smeared across her cheek and forehead. He had told her not to bother, that he was going to hire somebody to do the landscaping, but she wouldn't hear of it.

“They can help,” she had finally conceded. “But I won't have strangers tromping through my gardens.”

He had also told her that he was going to hire a cook, but she had adamantly refused. “I'll cook,” she said. “There are only two of us,” she had pointed out. “If we throw a party, then you can hire someone to cater…maybe.”

He had been pleasantly surprised to find that she knew her way around a kitchen…extremely well. After tonight's dinner, he was considering the idea of taking some of her dishes to the restaurant.

His ear twitched as he heard the bathroom door open. “I was thinking that maybe you could write down the recipe for what you cooked tonight. I think it would make a great addition to our menu at the…” he trailed off, the rest of his sentence not so much stuck in his throat as it was completely eradicated from his mind.

As he had been talking, he had been rolling over to face her as she walked into the room. He would have been more than a little put out if he had seen the amused grin on her face, but as it was, he couldn't get past those long legs that were bare up to the tops of her thighs. She had pulled on the grey t-shirt he had been teasing her about earlier and, even though it billowed around her, hid all the curves that he loved so much, his youkai couldn't help but be completely content that she was outwardly showing the world that she belonged to him.

“You think so?” she asked. “I don't know. It's a pretty straight forward meal. Not as fancy as what your customers are used to.” She was toweling her hair dry as she watched him. When he didn't answer, she shrugged and walked back to the bathroom.

Inuyasha felt the growl start to work itself out of his chest as he waited for her to return. He balled his hands into fists, willing himself to stay where he was. She came walking slowly back into the room, her bare feet hardly making any noise on the wood floor. She climbed onto the bed, sitting with her feet tucked under herself, causing an inch of creamy skin to disappear.

“Inuyasha? Are you listening to me?”

He blinked, looked up at her, saw the smirk on her face and chose to ignore it. “Yes,” he said.

“I didn't think that this would be such a turn on for you,” she said, wriggling slightly as she plucked at the shirt.

He scowled at her, halfheartedly. “Who said it was?”

Her gaze slid down his chest, stopped somewhere between his navel and knees, and then found his own eyes again. Her smirk grew into soft laughter. “My mistake,” she said, softly.

The iron chains he had bound around his will loosened, slipped, and then shattered altogether as she raised her arms up to brush her hair back from her face. The shirt rode up higher, exposing more and more skin and making his pants more uncomfortable.

It was only when he felt her fingers slide through his hair that Inuyasha realized he had moved. His hands were gripping her knees, forcing them open as his mouth ran up a bare thigh as though he were instinctively looking for the place where her arousal was the strongest.

He heard a breathy moan escape her, felt her fingers run along the edge of one ear, and froze. A million scenarios and their more likely than not bloody outcomes went racing through his mind.

“If you stop, Inuyasha, I will have you hunted,” she murmured.

Our bitch wants us, came a harsh voice from inside him. You have been ignoring her, denying her the one thing that would make her happy…the one thing that would make her ours forever.

Another, softer voice continued, Just trust yourself. Let go. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Mentally thrown off balance at the realization that his demon and human were in complete accord, he found that he couldn't fight it when they acted in unison. His hands hooked underneath Kagome's legs, flipping her onto her back. She didn't fight him as he pushed her legs farther open so that he could kneel between them. There was no fear in her scent as he ran deadly sharp claws lightly up the insides of her thighs, as his hands tugged the shirt up and over her head.

He remembered when he had first seen her how she had taken his breath away, how he couldn't seem to take his eyes from her because she seemed to glow from within. Now, gazing down at her, naked except for satiny black underwear, he found that his first memory of her was a mere shadow next to this.

She grows impatient, the voices hummed at him.

Kagome was reaching up to him, running her hands softly over his chest, her fingers cleverly finding the sensitive spot where his hipbone curved into his abdomen. He felt his muscles jerk in response, saw the grin curve her mouth. A low growl escaped his lips and he grabbed both wrists in one hand, pinning them above her head. Her wide grey eyes looked up at him and he found that he never remembered having anyone look at with so much…trust.

“Don't move,” he whispered.

He just wanted to look at her, to burn the image of her pale, naked body spread out over his bed into his mind. A soft sigh left her slightly parted lips, and her eyes drifted close as Inuyasha ran a finger along the curve of her breast, across her ribs, over her flat stomach. She wiggled slightly in his hold and his growl became louder, vibrated the air around them, and her grin deepened.

“Look at me,” he commanded, his voice harsher than he meant.

Her eyes opened, never wavered from his gaze as he ran a finger lightly down her cheek, as it ran down the long, pale column of her throat, the tip of his claw pressing softly against her pulse.

“I might hurt you,” he whispered.

Kagome didn't say anything, didn't look away from him.

“I could kill you,” he added, just as softly.

She tilted her chin up slightly, keeping her eyes on his, and went completely limp in his hold. The inu-youkai inside of him howled in triumph at this submissive display.

“You may hurt me,” she conceded. “But you won't come close to killing me.” He blinked at her certainty and she smiled.

“How do you know?”

“Just trust me, Yasha.”

He shook his head. It wasn't her that he didn't trust. It was her that he was worried about because he didn't think that he could control the wildness inside of him, was afraid that everything would quickly spin out of control and, when it was all over, he would once again be left with nothing, would be completely alone again. His grip loosened on her wrists as he realized that he couldn't do this, wouldn't do this to her.

Before he could pull away, Kagome jerked her chin up, snapped her head to the side. He felt the sharp point of his claw sink shallowly into her skin and hurriedly yanked his hand away as a metallic tang spiked through the air. He watched, mesmerized, as the dark blood sprang to the surface, as it started to make its way lazily down her neck. The dark red rivulet stood out in sharp contrast to the creamy paleness of her throat as it slid down and pooled in the hollow between her collarbones. The color started to encroach on his vision and he found that he couldn't look away.

“Do it,” he heard Kagome whisper.

He could already taste it in the back of his throat, knew that it would be coppery and sweet at the same time. He bent forward and licked his way up her neck, making sure to clean away any traces of the blood. His hands had loosened their grip on her wrists as he concentrated on his task, and he felt her slip from his hold, felt her fingers dancing lightly along his stomach and chest, ghosting up the muscles of his arms.

He hissed in surprise against her neck as her nails raked down his back, and he pulled away to look down at her.

Through half-lidded eyes, she gazed back up at him, her raven hair fanned around her like a dark halo. She smiled gently up at him.

“Inuyasha,” she whispered.

The sheer need in her voice was enough to break the spell. His lips found hers, worked over her soft, pliant mouth as his hands cradled her face. He kneed her legs farther apart, nestled himself closer against her. His mouth moved away, down her cheeks, along her jaw, down her throat, wanting to taste every inch of her. His hands slid down to circle around already taut nipples before he pulled one into his mouth, reaching up to roll the other between his fingers. A moan escaped Kagome as he pinched and bit down lightly, and she arched up into him. Pleased with this reaction, Inuyasha ran his tongue soothingly over the reddened flesh, his hands gripping her around her ribcage.

He made his way back up to her lips, sliding his body along hers as he did, nearly moaning at the sensation of her warm, soft skin against his chest. She nibbled gently on his bottom lip and then slid her tongue into his mouth as she dug her nails into his back again. He grunted in surprise, breaking the kiss, trying to arch away from her, pressing himself more firmly between her legs. She gripped his hips as she pushed up into him, watching him with a smug smile when his eyes widened.

“You act like you've never done this before,” she whispered.

He felt the confusion run over his features as he looked down at her. “I haven't,” Inuyasha said. “Not like this.”

Inuyasha suddenly realized that every moan, every hitched breath that he extracted from her as he ran his fingers and lips over her body was more satisfying than he could have ever imagined. As he slipped her underwear down over her hips and off of her, tossing them to the side, the sudden urge to please her, to hold off on his own gratification, was overwhelming -and was a completely new sensation.

He sat up, pulled her up with him and settled her in his lap, her back against his chest. She wiggled slightly, pushing her hips back into his erection, and Inuyasha groaned. He moved her hair aside, kissed and nipped at the back of her neck while his hands trailed over her breasts, over her flat stomach. His mouth wandered over her shoulders and her head fell back, exposing the long line of her throat as his hands ran down her legs to spread them open again. He watched with crimson tinted vision as red scrawled itself around his wrists. He wanted to please her, yes, but the instinct to dominant her was more overpowering.

“Anytime you're in this bed, I want you like this,” he whispered harshly in her ear. “Do you understand?” When she didn't answer, he growled, nipped her lightly on the shoulder, and slid a finger between the wetted flesh of her legs. “Do you understand?” he asked again, running his finger once over her clit before pulling away.

She groaned with the loss, pushing her hips toward his hand. “Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, I understand.” She grasped his hand in her own, pulling it back to herself.

He pulled away from her and hid a smirk as her frustration spiked through the air when he crawled off the bed.

“Come here,” he said, kneeling on the floor beside the bed.

“What?”

He grabbed her ankles and yanked her to the edge, giving her a small snarl of annoyance. “Don't question me,” he said. He was relieved to find no fear in her scent when the command came out gravelly and harsh. “Sit up.”

She did as she was told, letting her toes brush against the floor. His fingers trailed up the smooth skin of her inner thighs, his claws tickling the sensitive skin, and he never looked away from her. He licked his lips, bent his head, and then trailed his tongue up the invisible paths his fingers had made.

He hesitated when he reached the point where her legs joined, feeling how his eyes became heavy-lidded and Kagome let out an irritated huff of air.

“If you don't learn to be patient, I'll get up and walk away,” he said, letting his breath move over the sensitive flesh. He felt her squirm slightly, looked up to see her jaw clenched, her eyes pleading with him silently, and he smirked. “Better.”

Even if she had said something, Inuyasha wasn't sure that he would have been able to wait any longer. Since the Hanami festival, every damn time she became aroused he had gritted his teeth against the urge to carry her off somewhere and just taste her. Once they had moved into Yasumidokoro, he had refused to let her stay anywhere else besides in his bed. He had spent sleepless nights curled around her small, warm body and the desire had been almost unbearable.

His tongue flicked out and his eyes closed in pure ecstasy as her taste spilled into his mouth. He felt his ears twitch up to catch her throaty moan, felt her fingers slide into his hair as she pushed her hips against his mouth. His hands slid up to hold her hips just at the crease of her legs and his elbows pushed her knees farther apart just as he licked up through her heated flesh and sucked at her overly-sensitive clit that pulsed under his lips.

“Oh, gods,” she moaned.

Her scent filled his nose, her taste flooded his mouth, and he found that he couldn't stop himself from burying his nose in her soft black curls, sucking at her, licking up every drop of her. Her hand in his hair clenched and he felt small tremors run down her legs, felt a rush of contentment at fulfilling someone else's desires when she moaned again, when she pressed herself against his mouth, hard, her whole body tensing with the force of her orgasm.

He ran his tongue up over her throbbing flesh one last time, making her gasp, causing her body to tense. He found that while he couldn't completely ignore the urgings of his own body, he was much more intent on satisfying hers. He pulled away from her, trailing kisses along her inner thigh as he did. He looked up at her to see her head bent forward, her hair a dark curtain that hid her face from him.

“Kagome,” he whispered. She looked up at him through dark lashes, stormy grey eyes cloudy with post-orgasmic euphoria. “Kagome…I want you.”

A small smile touched her lips as she reached forward to frame his face with her hands, as she bent down to kiss him lightly. He braced himself on the edge of the bed, suddenly unsure if he was able to stay upright. When she pulled back, pulled away, he nearly growled at her. Her smile grew as she bent forward again, as she hovered just over his lips.

“How bad?” she whispered.

He reached up to kiss her, the overwhelming need to taste her lips again nearly unbearable. A growl rumbled the air around them as she pulled away, scooted back across the bed slightly, denying him.

“How bad?” she asked again, her voice deep and sultry. She had crawled back to him on her hands and knees, her lips just a breath away from his.

He didn't answer and she avoided his kisses, slowly moving back across the bed and away from him, causing him to stalk after her.

“Come here,” he growled.

She smiled impishly at him, shaking her head. “No,” she breathed.

Her refusal sent his youkai howling through him. She must have seen something change on his face, because her eyes went wide as her smile deepened and she slid off the bed opposite from him. For a brief second, Inuyasha stayed where he was, his demon amazed that she would have the audacity to run from him. In one swift motion, Inuyasha was after her, pushing his weight against the door, slamming it shut as she tried to escape. He pressed her against the hard wood -a part of him savoring the way her soft breasts felt against his chest- and placed his hands on either side of her head.

“I don't care if you are the alpha bitch,” he growled softly in her ear. “You always obey me.”

She sucked in a breath, excitement mixing with the scent of her arousal, and looked up at him. Rebellion glittered in her eyes, touched the edges of her smile.

“Always?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed. “Yes.”

“And if I don't?”

He almost missed the question. Her hands were busy at the band of his pants, tickling the sensitive skin along his side, sliding gently up along the outside where his erection strained against the material. When her clever fingers found their way inside, when she grasped him firmly in her hand as she slid his pants over his hips, Inuyasha groaned.

“You didn't answer the question, Yasha,” she murmured.

She twined one of the long locks of his hair around her fingers, pulled his face closer, brought his head down so that her lips tickled the hairs around his ear. He felt her tongue run along the edge, gripped her around the hips as he felt a deep purr escape from his chest. She chuckled softly in his ear.

His youkai became incensed at this show of defiance. He pushed her up against the door, catching her just under her thighs and lifting her. She gasped, wrapped her legs around his waist, the smile never leaving her face. Inuyasha felt a feral grin touch his own mouth, felt his fangs get slightly longer as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

Just as he was about to force himself into her, he hesitated. A small part of him panicked, piercing through the animalistic urge to rut. Inuyasha pulled away, would have dropped her back to the ground if she hadn't grabbed the two locks of hair on either side of his face and forcefully pulled his head around so that he was looking directly into her eyes.

“I don't know exactly why you're stopping,” Kagome said, her eyes narrowing.

“You deserve better than this,” he whispered.

He saw a muscle in her jaw twitch, stared into grey eyes that became turbulent with storms. “If I wanted someone who was going to lay me on my back and be all romantic and gentle, do you honestly think I would have even considered dating a guy who's part inu-youkai? You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to give you a moment's peace if you leave me like this,” she whispered, fiercely. “Every time I'm around you, all I want is for you to touch me, to satisfy this…this pressure that's been building up in me.”

Inuyasha shook his head. “No. I can't…not like this.”

“Yes like this,” she growled when she felt his hands start to slip away from her. She tightened her legs around his waist. “God dammit, Inuyasha, we can be all cuddly and quixotic next time. But for now all I want…all I want is…” she trailed off. Instead of finishing, she reached down, wrapped her fingers around his length and, at the same time, bent her head down to sink her teeth into his neck.

He caught the howl just behind his teeth but couldn't suppress the rumble of surprise. Red shot violently through his vision. He could feel his fangs piercing into his bottom lip, could feel the purple slash across his cheeks, but couldn't concentrate on anything but the wet warmth that had suddenly enveloped him. His hands seized her thighs, pushed her roughly against the door as he thrust himself into her. His vision was limited to what was directly in front of him, which was the pale white skin of Kagome's throat and shoulders as she tilted her head back.

He was slowly loosing his grip; that became more and more evident as Kagome urged him to quicken the pace. Between cries of pleasure, between moans of ecstasy, she whispered things to encourage him to drive himself into her faster, harder. His lips nuzzled against the flesh where her neck met her shoulders, pressing their sweat slicked bodies together. The claws of his fingers dug into the thin skin of her thighs, breaking the surface, and he could feel the warm blood spread over his fingers.

Her nails dug into his shoulders just as her slick walls clenched around him. She arched against him, crying out as she climaxed for him once again. His bitch's needs taken care of, Inuyasha found that the only thing he could think of was pleasing himself. He stepped out of the puddle of his pants, carrying an erratically breathing Kagome back to the bed. He heard her low growl of irritation when he slid out of her and the sound only aroused him further as he dropped her onto the bed. She pushed herself immediately to her knees, reaching for his hips, pulling him to herself. He found his hands tangled in her hair as she licked away the sweat on his chest and stomach.

“No,” he said suddenly, when he felt her hot mouth around the sensitive tip of his erection. “I don't want you doing that.” His pulled her head back, trying to smile at her to take the sharpness from his voice. He bent down, ran his tongue around the edge of her ear, biting down on the lobe before whispering, “I want you on your hands and knees.”

Kagome pulled away from him, smiled up at him through dark lashes. When he sank into her this time, when he felt the firm, smooth skin of her ass pressing against his hips, he closed his eyes because he couldn't see past the red anymore. He was only vaguely aware of her cry of pleasure, of the sharp scent of blood. He could feel the flesh of her hips in his hands as he slammed into her harder. One hand tangled itself in her hair again, pulled her head up so that her long back arched. He thrust himself deeper into her, the feeling of him sliding easily in and out of her driving him closer and closer to the edge.

Just as his lips curled back over his teeth, just as he was about to dig his claws down the skin of her back, something outside of him pushed him gently, but firmly, away. The red ebbed from his vision slightly, he felt the pressure of his fangs against his lips recede. He grunted as he grasped her hips again, as he sheathed himself to the hilt in her one last time, his orgasm rolling through him so hard that he was left panting.

 

~~

Kagome let every muscle in her body go slack as she felt Inuyasha pull out of her. His strong arms wrapped around her, pulled her to himself, turning her around and cradling her against his chest. He twisted, fell back onto the bed, taking her with him. She gave a muffled `umph' before snuggling against his firm chest. She felt his fingers trail lazily through her hair and started to give a contented sigh when she felt him freeze, felt his whole body tense.

“Oh, gods, Kagome.”

She knew what he saw because she could feel each and every cut and scrape along her shoulders and hips, down her back and thighs. They stung a little, but not enough that she really wanted to think about them until later.

“Kagome, I'm-“

“If you are about to apologize, then you can just stop,” she said, lazily. “You're just gonna ruin everything.”

“But-“

“No.” She pushed herself up, catching his gaze, distracting him from her wounds. “I already told you I knew what the consequences of this were,” she said.

“I could have killed you,” he whispered, fear evident in his voice and eyes.

“And I already told you that you can't,” she reminded him.

He blinked at her. “How…”

“How do I know?” She gave him a smug smile. “Because I, unlike you, wanted to solve this problem.”

“It's not that I didn't want to solve it,” he began, a little indignantly. “I just didn't think there was an answer.”

“Well, lucky for both of us, it was easy.” She traced imaginary lines on his chest. “All we had to do was spend time with each other,” she told him. “You may not be able to control your youkai, but I can.” She paused again. “That day you accused me of trying to purify you,” she continued, softly. “It wasn't that -not really. My miko powers were just…curious, I guess.” She shrugged as she smiled up at him. “The more time I spend with you, the more they accept you. When you turn all claws and fangs and want nothing more than to feast on my flesh, my aura recognizes your demon as a threat, but still realizes that it's a part of you.”

“So I don't get purified so much as…contained,” Inuyasha said, looking a little troubled at her description of him.

Kagome smiled brightly. “Exactly.”

“How long have you known this?”

“A few months.”

Golden eyes narrowed at her and she knew what was coming. “Months? And you're just now saying something?” he asked, incredulous.

She gritted her teeth against snapping at him and instead elected to dig her nails deep into his chest. “As I recall, the last time I tried to say anything, you wouldn't listen.” She eased her grip on him slightly when he winced in pain.

“That's what you were trying to tell me?”

Kagome sighed in frustration. “I'm going to take a bath,” she said. “Again.”

She left him staring after her, willing herself not to yell at him. How dare he get upset at her for not telling him something that he hadn't wanted to hear in the first place! She fumed as she waited for the water to heat, scowled down at the scratches on her legs and around her hips, hissing slightly when the hot water felt like it had claws of its own and was reopening the wounds on her back.

There had been a brief moment of uncertainty when purple had slashed across Inuyasha's cheeks, when he had looked at her with slightly vacant, blood red eyes. Her talks with Sesshomaru had prepared her for how…dominant Inuyasha would become. Kagome felt a small shiver of pleasure run through her body and she leaned against the cool tile of the shower, closing her eyes and letting herself smile.

As she reached to turn off the water, she looked over her shoulder, trying to pierce through the foggy door. She knew he was in the bathroom…could feel him more strongly now than ever before.

“Hand me a-“

She broke off as she opened the door, as she was wrapped in soft terry cloth and firm arms.

“You really can sense me, can't you?” he asked, softly.

“Yes,” she murmured into his chest.

He bent to nuzzle his mouth against her neck, kissed her gently on the forehead before pulling away to look down at her.

“What gods did I manage to please to have them deliver you to me?” he asked.

Kagome laughed. “Live with me for awhile longer and I guarantee you won't be asking that exact same question...”

 

~~

It was at the fall fashion show that they did it in public for the first time -and Inuyasha couldn't have been happier.

He wasn't even sure how he had ended up agreeing to go with her. Every other social event he had shied away from as though he would be exposed to some deadly disease. He thought that it was those wide grey eyes that had convinced him…or perhaps it was the way she stuck out her bottom lip just slightly when she didn't get her way. Whatever it was, Takahashi Inuyasha, the scourge of Tokyo, found himself escorting Higurashi Kagome, Tokyo's leading socialite, to one of the biggest events of the year. And it was there that she gracefully led him through groups of important personages, announced him as her escort and boyfriend, squashed nasty rumors and looks before they could even begin, the whole time appearing as though she was doing nothing at all.

She was the most sought after person in the room. Kagome had warned him before he had agreed to go with her that it may not be easy for him, had told him that she wouldn't be able to ignore anyone, wouldn't be able to sit in the shadows and watch. Regardless of the event or who it was being held for, as soon as she or her mother walked through the doors, the focus shifted to them and they became the hub of a great social wheel whose radius was vaster than Inuyasha could have imagined.

“You won't be able to hide either,” she had told him. “If you're with me you will be in the spotlight just as much…if not more so because…”

He had raised an eyebrow at her when she had trailed off. “Because what?” he had asked with a small smile. “Because I am a rich, nightclub owning junkie who they would never imagine you would date, let alone give the time of day to?”

She had given him that mock snarl that always made him instantly hard. “That's not what I was going to say,” she said. “You're not a junkie,” she had added, which had made him laugh softly. She had peered at him, had bitten her bottom lip the way she did when she wanted to ask something but wasn't sure how he would react.

“Just ask.”

“When was the last time you…?”

Three weeks ago, while you were sleeping…I went downstairs and sat on the couch and was oblivious to everything until dawn. I had to though. I can't make it through those nights when I'm human. “Not since that first night I saw you at the club,” he had said.

He had thought that the lie would kill him.

But, here he was, seemingly guiding Kagome around a room filled with people who looked at him as though he didn't belong. He had spotted Miroku on their first circuit of the room, had seen Sango whispering something in the violet-eyed man's ear that had made a devilish grin spread across Miroku's face. Inuyasha had seen Kouga as well and had given the Prince of Wolves a small smirk when they had locked eyes across the room, when the wolf demon had spotted Kagome at his side. Inuyasha would have to go rub it in later.

As he was contemplating the joy of seeing Kouga jealous, Inuyasha felt Kagome tense beside him. Her hand tightened almost imperceptibly on his arm, but anxiety and anger spiked through her scent so forcefully that Inuyasha felt his hackles start to raise.

“What's wrong, Kagome?” he asked, under his breath.

“Hojo-san is here,” she told him, softly. “With…with that woman.” Someone called her name and Kagome smiled as though nothing had shaken her. “I'll be back,” she said to Inuyasha, and moved away from him.

Inuyasha looked across the room, his sharp eyes having no problem picking out the Akitoki heir. At his side was a tall woman whose dark hair fell straight down her back. Inuyasha couldn't see her face, but there was something familiar about her, about the way she stood, the way she moved.

A heavy hand fell on his shoulder, catching him by surprise. Inuyasha turned to look into glowing amber eyes that were twins to his own.

“Sesshomaru,” he greeted, somewhat unpleasantly.

“Inuyasha,” came the curt reply. “There is a problem.” Miroku came up behind Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. “I think it would be a good idea if you left,” Sesshomaru said.

“I agree with your brother,” Miroku said, before Inuyasha could say anything.

Sesshomaru's gaze never wavered from his brother's. “It would probably be best for all involved if you made yourself…scarce for the night.”

Again, before Inuyasha could say anything, before he could even scowl at his half-brother, Miroku interjected. “It's her, Yasha,” he said, softly.

The irritation was gone, forgotten, replaced by surprise that crept its way slowly through him like a sly fox hunting its prey. When it finally hit him with its full strength, he was staring across the room and into dark brown eyes that were all too familiar to him.

“Kikyou…”

 

~~

Kagome escaped the small group of people around her without interrupting the conversation. She sighed as she moved away from small talk about new designers, about the latest scandal. At some point, she had realized that everyone around her was treading carefully around the subject of whom she had shown up with and had almost laughed.

She could feel eyes on her as she walked across the room, couldn't stop the grin as she turned and locked gazes with Inuyasha. He stood with Sesshomaru and Miroku, was watching her with a small frown on his face. When she looked at him, he smiled and she saw his eyes become heavy-lidded as he licked his lips. An excited flush raced over her cheeks and she shivered with anticipation.

The transformation in him had been amazing after their first time together. He had become more adamant about doing certain things for her, had become more ardently protective and less afraid of hurting her -which, as far as Kagome was concerned, only made everything that much more enjoyable.

“I guess the rumors are true.”

Kagome turned, smiled up into clear cobalt eyes. “Kouga,” she greeted. “Whatever are you talking about?”

“That mutt finally sank his claws into you,” Kouga said, shaking his head. He sniffed slightly and frowned. “He hasn't marked you? That's surprising. It would have been the first thing I'd have done. No sense in letting someone else try to steal you away.”

Kagome furrowed her brow. “Marked me? What does that mean?”

Kouga blinked at her. “You don't know?” He smiled slightly when Kagome shook her head. “It's a bond created between youkai and their chosen mates,” he told her. “It's sort of like a mating ritual, like a marriage, but the contract is sealed with blood and binding until death.” He paused again and shrugged. “Maybe he's just not sure yet.”

Kagome watched the wolf demon as he walked away, confusion running through her mind as it slowly tried to make sense of what he had told her.

`Maybe he's just not sure…'

 

~~

“I'm not sure I understand how this happened.”

Miroku shrugged as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “There are strange things happening around here lately,” he said. “Wild youkai have been seen outside their forests causing trouble for farmers in the countryside, breaking into shrines.”

Inuyasha felt a wave of alarm wash over him. “What?”

Miroku sighed. “Don't you ever watch the news, Yasha? Read the papers?” Miroku eyed Inuyasha when he shook his head. “If you weren't so wrapped up in Kagome-chan, perhaps you would be a little more up-to-date on current events.”

“I'm not fuckin' wrapped up in her,” Inuyasha said, scowling.

“No?”

“What does this have to do with Kikyou?” Inuyasha asked, ignoring Miroku's smirk and the double entendre.

“Nothing…possibly everything,” a new, deeply smooth voice said.

Inuyasha turned his scowl on Sesshomaru. “I thought I had left explicit instructions with the doorman that you weren't welcome here,” he said.

“He decided to see things my way,” Sesshomaru said, calmly.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. “I'm not in the mood to argue about it right now,” he said, noticing the way Miroku's drink stopped halfway to his lips as the dark-haired man looked at him incredulously. Inuyasha frowned. “She's supposed to be dead.”

Sesshomaru gave him a bland look and shrugged one shoulder -his right, Inuyasha noted. “Sometimes things are not always what they are supposed to be,” the elder Takahashi said.

As the proprietor of a high-end establishment, Inuyasha most likely should have set the example for how his patrons should behave. But he had had enough of his half-brother's twisted phrases that were harder to decipher than ancient, rotting scrolls found at the bottom of the sea. Inuyasha's hand flashed out and his fingers curled around the collar of Sesshomaru's shirt at the throat to jerk the taller man down to himself. Surprise flashed over the older brother's face before a snarl of irritation broke through his usual stoicism. Two sets of golden eyes glared at each other like blazing suns.

“Let him go, Inuyasha,” Miroku said, quietly. “I'm sure that Sesshomaru will explain himself.”

With a growl, Inuyasha slowly released Sesshomaru. His brother smoothed the front of his shirt with a long fingered, claw-tipped hand before settling into a seat across from Inuyasha.

“Rumors have been running like wildfire among the youkai,” Sesshomaru began. “There are talks of strange magics and, as your friend said, reports of wild youkai moving outside of their boundaries.”

“So, what does this have to do with Kikyou?” Inuyasha asked, trying to rein in his temper.

Sesshomaru shrugged again, but Inuyasha didn't miss the worried look that passed between his brother and Miroku. “Some dark sorceress or wizard may have brought her back. Nothing would surprise me at this point,” Sesshomaru finally said.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. “So, what you're saying is, you don't fuckin' know? You're telling me that a woman, who died hundreds of years ago, just miraculously came back to life one day?”

“Inuyasha, how can you be so sure that she was dead?” Miroku asked. “Her body was never found.”

Inuyasha's fist slammed into the table top, shattering the glass that covered the marble, crackling the hard stone, causing Miroku to look at him in alarm. Sesshomaru showed no emotion, merely picked up a half empty glass before it crashed to the floor.

“Because I fuckin' killed her!”

 

~~

Grey eyes glittering with excitement suddenly dulled and widened.

“Perhaps we should leave them to talk,” Sango said, softly, taking Kagome by the elbow and pulling her away.

“No, wait,” Kagome protested, jerking away from Sango.

“Kagome, nothing good can come of this,” Sango said. “You don't know what they're talking about. You heard one thing, completely out of context. Maybe he's talking about a pet fish that he had.”

Kagome glanced at Sango from the corner of her eye. “You don't believe that,” she said.

“No,” Sango admitted. “But do you honestly think that he could kill a person?”

“If I thought that, do you think I'd be with him?” Kagome asked.

She turned her attention back to the three men. Miroku was looking mournfully down at the ruined table while Sesshomaru and Inuyasha seemed to be having a battle of wills as they stared at each other; Inuyasha looking darkly into his older brother's passive face.

“You didn't kill her, Inuyasha.”

Sesshomaru's quiet voice floated to Kagome and she would have felt the muscle slacking feeling of relief if it hadn't been for Inuyasha.

“No? Then why was it that I had her blood all over me?” he asked, vehemently. “I could feel pieces of her skin under my claws as I ran away.”

“You never saw her die though.”

Inuyasha's face suddenly became as devoid of emotion as his brother's. “I didn't have to,” he said, coldly. “I watched her die as she put a goddamn arrow through me.”

“Come on, Kagome.”

This time, Sango forcefully pulled her away. Kagome was too confused to protest, could do nothing but stare at Inuyasha's expressionless face as he talked about killing someone.

When had everything become so…so…eerily anomalous? It was like she was part of a dark fairytale that started out by making the reader believe that everything would be beautiful and carefree only to find out that, in the end, no one was who they said they were and sinister shadows seemed to be slinking in every corner.

“Sango,” Kagome said. “Sango, something is wrong.”

When her friend didn't say anything, Kagome jerked against her grip and was surprised when she couldn't pull away. Sango glanced at Kagome over her shoulder and the flat, cold look sent shivers of dread through Kagome. She could feel it, the frighteningly icy aura that hung around Sango like a cloak. Kagome suddenly had the uncanny feeling that Sango wasn't…quite Sango anymore.

“Who are you?”

The brunette jerked to a halt as though she were a marionette. She turned on seemingly disjointed legs and stared at Kagome with vacant eyes. Her face twisted, as though she was going to be sick, and, when her mouth opened, it wasn't Sango's voice.

“Who am I, little miko?” Frost seemed to form around the edges of the words and Kagome felt the temperature drop suddenly. She watched as Sango's blue-tinged lips struggled to form more words. “I am the monster under the bed that you hid from as a child. I am the nightmare that blossoms behind your eyelids at night and robs you of breath in the morning.”

“What do you want?”

The grin that twisted Sango's mouth was horrifying. “I want to taste the blood of a miko,” the voice whispered. Sango jerked forward, her breath fanning across Kagome's face, a putrid smell that reminded Kagome of rotting leaves and flesh. “I want to feel the hot fluid of your life bubble and flow through my fingers as I rip your heart from your chest.”

The brunette's hand reached out to finger a piece of Kagome's hair and she bent closer, her tongue coming out to run up Kagome's cheek. Kagome shoved her away, violently, tears springing into her eyes as she watched the body of her friend jerk back, loose its balance and tumble to the ground.

“This is not over, little miko,” came the raspy, whispering voice. “I will have you.”

Sango's body shuddered and gave one last, deep, sighing breath that came out as a cloud of vapor. The tears on Kagome's cheeks were frozen and it wasn't until she felt warmth envelope her that she realized she was sobbing.

“He…he was inside of her,” was her reply to hushed questions. “He was inside her and he wanted-“ a sob choked her, forced her to stop speaking and wrack its way through her body. “He wanted to kill me. It's so cold.”

“Drugs?” she heard someone murmur.

“No! There was someone here!” She could vaguely hear herself, knew she sounded like a ranting lunatic. “He was here, inside of Sango…had taken control of her, was talking through her, but it wasn't…it wasn't her voice.”

She could feel herself moving away, was trying to find Sango to make sure she was okay, except the force pulling at her was patiently but determinedly denying her…

 

~~

“Are you sure you'll be okay?”

“Inuyasha, I may have a break down if you don't leave this house and stop hovering over me.”

“So…you'll be okay?” Inuyasha ducked a magazine that was launched at his head with a grin. “I'll take that as a yes.” He spread his arms out as he crossed the room, letting loose a small sigh when Kagome snuggled close to him. “I'll be back late tonight,” he murmured into her hair.

“You want me to leave a plate for you in the fridge?”

“Nah.”

“Wake me up when you come home.”

“Okay.”

“You won't, will you?”

“Probably not. You need to rest.”

“I wasn't imagining it, you know.”

“I know. We all believe you, trust me.”

“When are you going to tell me about Kikyou?”

Inuyasha tensed, held his breath. “How do you know about that?” he asked, pulling away slightly to look down at her.

She stared at a spot on his chest, gave a small shrug. “She was a legend, you know. My grandfather knows about her. There weren't many powerful mikos that would have been alive after you were born. I just kind of,” she shrugged again, “guessed.”

“I'll tell you anything you want to know tomorrow.” He watched her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip. “Ask.”

“Do you think she looks like me?”

He peered at her. “Maybe…a little…from a distance,” he admitted. “But you two are nothing alike,” he told her.

“Is that good or bad?” she asked, still eyeing the spot on his shirt.

“Good.”

“But you were in love with her.”

“Who said I'm not in love with you?”