InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ "Shards of Our Memories": The Soap Opera ❯ Chapter 8: Passions ( Chapter 8 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha! I own this figment of my imagination that I can put into fan fiction, but that's the full extent of it…..A sad life I do live… ; )

A/N: Big WOW. I am totally bowled over by the huge response from chapter 7. I doubled my number of reviews within the span of three days, and it feels good! Thanks so much to everyone who commented or made suggestions or asked questions. It encourages me to do a better job so I can make you all happy!

This chapter was pretty challenging to write. At first, when I began, I thought "Man, I've really backed myself into a corner. I gotta make this REALLY good, in a short amount of time…." But, when I actually sat down to write, all my ideas just poured out. So, please enjoy- and don't forget to tell me what you think!!

"Shards of Our Memories"

CHAPTER 8: Passions

Kagome twitched slightly, her brain still on overdrive.

Inuyasha was going to….seduce her?

Needless to say, that had created quite the uncomfortable atmosphere in the board room- and, unbeknownst to Hiten, the tension had increased a hundredfold. As soon as Hiten had finished speaking to them, Kagome had found a reason to bolt. She and Inuyasha hadn't talked since then.

Sango sighed loudly to get her attention. "What's on your mind, Kagome? You've

been really quiet today."

"….Nothing…..just….thinking about things….."

"Is it about that scene with Inuyasha?"

Kagome jolted, shooting Sango a suspicious look. "How do you know about that?!"

Sango laughed, seeing her friend's face. "How WOULDN'T I know about it? There's so much gossip around here, I couldn't keep out of your business if I tried….Anyway, it's a scene in the show….it's not like it's a secret or anything."

Kagome blew her bangs out of her face, irritably, regaining her composure. "Yeah, I forgot….I guess I am kind of worried about…that scene."

"Any particular reason?"

Kagome fumbled with the cloth of her skirt for a moment. "Er….you know….normal acting things…like…..how will it turn up on camera….and will the audience believe it…..yeah….."

Sango fixed her with a strange look. "You're worried about romance scenes? But, you do them so easily with Kouga…."

Kagome flinched. "Yeah…well…..that's….." she mumbled something completely unintelligible.

"…What'd you say?"

Kagome blushed. "I said that…well, Inuyasha and Kouga are…completely different!"

Sango remained silent for a moment, fiddling with Kagome's bangs. "You like him, don't you?" she asked knowingly. Kagome glared at the mirror, but chose not to answer. The red in her cheeks told Sango that she had hit it on the nose. The hairdresser smiled slyly to herself.

After another minute or so of silence between the two, a knock came on the door. When they called the visitor in, Sango's face lit up in a devious smile.

"Well, speak of the devil…." Kagome whipped around to see Inuyasha standing in her doorway. "I think I'll leave you two alone. I've…got some errands to run…."

And, before Kagome could force her to stay, Inuyasha was staring back at her, a little bit of shame written across his face. She fixed him with an embarrassed glare, then turned away. "So why are you here? Decided you wanted to whine more about Kouga?"

Inuyasha snorted. "I don't need to waste my breath on that asshole to show what an idiot he is!"

Kagome rolled her eyes, looking over her shoulder at him. "…Then why DID you come?"

Inuyasha colored a little in indignation, but he didn't lash out at her. "Because I thought we should….practice….."

Kagome blanched, her stomach tightening just a little. "Practice?" she squeaked, her anger flowing away in surprise.

Now it was his turn to act exasperated. "Well, it is an important scene, right? And we're filming in two days! It might be helpful if we at least could say our lines straight…"

She nodded slowly, flushed. "I…..yeah….I guess you're right….."

He looked taken aback at her sudden change in attitude, and became slightly fidgety. "So…..we could practice some of the lines together, if that's OK….unless…..you'd rather just practice it separately…" If she hadn't been embroiled in the uncomfortable situation, she might have laughed at how he looked like a wide-eyed child trying not to get in trouble.

She picked up her script from her dressing table, shakily opening it to scene 5, in which Inuyasha's character would break into her room in order to seduce her. She looked at the stage directions with a mixed sort of dread and excitement. They were so….detailed.

She turned back to Inuyasha with a nervous smile quirking the edges of her mouth.

He grunted softly, also opening his script. "So…..I guess I'll be coming into the room, and you…uh….will be facing away from me…"

She nodded silently, turning her back to him slowly.

"And then….you say your line…."

Kagome looked down at her script intently, finding her opening line. " `….Why did you come here, Alonzo?'"

He was focused on his script, too, as if he didn't want to look up at her. " `You should know why I came….'" The line sounded stilted, unlike all the other times she had seen him act. For once, he hadn't dived headlong into the actions of the character, but was looking slightly embarrassed about the lines.

She chewed on her lip, reading deeper into the stage directions. "So, then you'll come up behind me, and….uh…. `take me in your arms'….."

He slowly walked up to where she stood, and she could feel the warmth of his breath brush against the side of her cheek. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her body, holding her lightly as if she was some kind of fragile object. Was he afraid that she would get angry with him? She had never seen Inuyasha act with anything but heedlessness- to see him cautious was confusing her.

Ignoring how warm his arms were around her waist, she looked back at her script. "Then….I turn around to face you and say…."

She turned around to meet his broad chest. Before she could even get her line out, they were interrupted. Kouga stood in the doorway, surprised horror written across his face.

"Oh…" he grumbled. "I'll…..leave you two be….." He left quickly, down the hall.

Both blushing deeply, Kagome and Inuyasha sprang apart, averting their eyes from each other uncomfortably.

"Maybe we should just practice the lines for now…." Kagome suggested, meekly.

Inuyasha nodded, dazed. "Sure….."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sango, of course, had not had any actual "errands" to run, but had been glad to provide Inuyasha and Kagome with some alone time. She had contented herself with filling a nice, steaming Styrofoam cup of coffee, and watching the set buzz with activity.

"So, Kagome isn't here?"

Sango almost sloshed her coffee in surprise as Miroku Inoue stepped up beside her. She blew a sigh of relief, before fixing him with a frown of disapproval. "She's in her dressing room with Inuyasha."

Miroku raised his eyebrows. "Alone?!"

She looked at him wryly. "Yes, alone."

Miroku shook his head sadly, and then his face broke into a large grin. "Well, I guess it can't be helped! If Kagome is busy with Inuyasha, I guess we're stuck here together!" Sango noticed that he didn't sound in the least bit disappointed at the thought.

Sango shot him a dry stare over her coffee. "Don't you have any other clients?"

Miroku scratched the back of his head with a rueful grin on his face. "Ah..well…none so important and successful as Kagome…or as beautiful as you, Sango!"

Sango reddened slightly, and she kept her eyes on the cup in her hands. "Isn't there someone else you could be annoying right now?" she said half-heartedly.

He thought for a long moment, then winked cheekily at her. "Well, I suppose that I could leave you alone…if you'd agree to have dinner with me!"

Sango looked up at him in surprise. "So….er…if I agree to this dinner thing…you'll try to bug me less….AND keep control of those wandering hands of yours?" She glared pointedly.

Miroku grinned. "I will do the best I can, my sweet!"

Sango tried to ignore his term of endearment, and struggled to regain her stoic glance as he smiled down at her. Finally, she was forced to relent. She sighed, still fighting off her blush.

"Then, I guess there's no other choice…."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So, why WAS she so nervous?

It was the scheduled day of filming for her and Inuyasha's scene, and Kagome couldn't help treating it as if it was some huge leap for them. She fluffed up her bangs in the mirror, and puffed her cheeks in frustration, feeling uncharacteristically worried about her appearance.

--Stop being foolish…-- she warned herself, glaring resolutely into the mirror. -It's nothing but a stupid scene. It's no different from anything you've ever done with Kouga!-

But another half of her consciousness nagged at her, remembering the awkward way that they had struggled to practice the scene together, just two days earlier. When he had come to wrap his arms around her, she had almost panicked with how right it felt. They were just actors, right? So, acting out romance like this wasn't supposed to feel this close to home. It was part of her profession to be able to push her personal emotions to the back of her mind while putting on a different persona. That's just what she would have to force herself to do today.

--Besides….it's not as if Inuyasha feels anything towards you.-Her inner thoughts flew around wildly, as the butterflies began to increase. -If you think about him that way, you'll only get your hopes up.--

Finally feeling satisfied at the placement of her hair, she adjusted the short skirt around her waist, smoothed the collar of her shirt, and made her way out into the hubbub of the set.

Inuyasha watched Kagome closely as she entered the room. His mind in a similar state of disarray, his eyes couldn't help but wander to admire her shapely legs as she moved towards the stage. He rubbed his eyes a little to snap out of it, reminding himself that if they were going to accomplish the scene correctly, he couldn't have any of that nervousness that he had felt before.

She smiled shyly at him as she approached. "Are you ready…?" she asked, quietly, her tone more subdued than usual.

He looked back at her, managing to stay calm, even though the memory of feeling her within his arms was replaying in his head. He nodded.

"Kagome.." he said her name softly. "Don't feel nervous at all." He said it sternly, though his face was gentler than normal.

They locked eyes for a moment, and then she nodded her understanding. "Thank you." She felt warmed by the idea that he cared, and a sense of calm washed over her as his gold eyes radiated strength.

And then Hiten and the cameramen were ready for them. Kagome and Inuyasha took their places on the set. Kagome took a deep breath in, reviewing her lines speedily within her mind.

"Action!"

Inuyasha entered on the scene swiftly, behind her. Kagome couldn't see him, but sensed his eyes boring into the back of her head.

" `Why have you come here, Alonzo…?'" The line came out shakily.

" `You should know why I came.'" Contrary to the way that they had practiced it before, the deep resonance of his voice sent a shiver up her spine.

And this was the part where he was supposed to take her in his arms. Silently, Kagome held her breath, waiting for the hesitant arms to reach her again. But this time, like his voice, his arms were far more insistent. With one step, he was behind her, his strong fingers pressing her waist and shoulders into his warm torso. Kagome leaned back into him, wide-eyed at how the heat of his breath splayed across the back of her neck.

It took her a moment of shocked surprise at the feeling to remember that she had a line. " `What are you doing, Alonzo? We can't….do…this…'" She had turned around to face him, as the stage directions had asked, and she lifted her shining, dark eyes to meet his.

Inuyasha's golden eyes were faintly reminiscent of two burning coals, shimmering with emotion, and he locked eyes with Kagome. She was caught for a moment, trying to read his expression. Was it possible that Inuyasha, too was feeling nervous?

" `It's too perfect to deny, baby…'"

She felt the rumble of his voice, which seemed to have dropped at least two octaves, in the muscles beneath her fingertips. Even if he was in character, those daring words had come straight from the mouth of Inuyasha. Her cheeks flamed.

Slowly, sensuously, he dipped his head to tug at her lower lip with his teeth. Gently cradling her head in his hands, he pried entrance into her mouth to lavish her tongue. Kagome blushed deeply, the air rushing from her lungs. His lips on hers were sending bolts of electricity into the pit of her stomach.

He continued hesitantly, waiting for her reaction. After a few more moments under the slow torture of his tongue, Kagome melted into his embrace, her arms finding a way around his waist to clutch tighter at him. Kagome began to kiss him back insistently, enjoying the way his kisses made every nerve in her brain sing with pleasure.

Breathing heavily, he pulled back slightly, leaving Kagome's lips for a moment. Watching her face intently, Inuyasha began to tug at his own shirt. For the small break in their heated kisses, it dawned on her once again that they were not alone, but under a spotlight in front of an audience.

And Inuyasha was stripping his button-down shirt, revealing the toned lines of his chest and arms. She gulped deeply as her eyes widened considerably. Her eyes couldn't help but roam hungrily as she admired the beauty of his body. Hastily dropping his shirt to the floor, Inuyasha clung to her again.

He buried his face into the crook of her neck, began leaving sweet butterfly kisses along her jaw line. Kagome bit her lip hard, reaching for him, while running her fingers lightly up and down his spine. He shivered at her touch, grunting into the skin of her shoulder, as the muscles beneath her hands flexed.

Inuyasha's lips returned to hers, and Kagome's mouth burned with the heat of his lips and his daring tongue. His hands suddenly became wilder, as if they had a life of their own. As he delved into her mouth, his fingers gripped the backs of her thighs, sending a new thrill through her senses.

He dug his hands roughly at the edge of her skirt. Vaguely, she thought of how his movements weren't the ones that had been described in the script. But, as he yanked one of her legs to his side in order to draw her closer, her mind forgot to care about that tiny detail.

She felt herself caught up in the spirit of the moment- in the heat of their bodies pressed together, and the hardness of the muscle under her fingertips. Tentatively, she began to kiss his throat, moving her hands to run up the planes of his chest and the sides of his arms.

Kagome's mind spun as he rewarded her actions by breathing out a quiet groan into the side of her head. Inuyasha struggled inwardly in order to not speak her name aloud. She clutched onto him with a firmer grip, as she felt dizzy with the heady passion that was rising in her, choking her breath and blinding her. She staggered into him, lost completely, as he grabbed at her lips once again.

And, somewhere, out of the haziness of their passion, she heard another voice calling out to her.

"….And, CUT!"

It took them both a few seconds to realize again that they had been under the watchful eye of their director. Inuyasha and Kagome stood, dazed in each other's arms. They stared back at each other, hesitantly, their breaths still mingling hotly. As the realization dawned on them, they slowly began to entangle their limbs from each other with a kind of fearful regret. Kagome detached her hands from around Inuyasha's neck, and he slid his hands from her legs, and they moved apart.

Hiten, along with the band of watchers next to the stage, were giving them looks that were mixtures of awe and satisfaction.

Kagome blushed hotly, her mind rushing to how her hair must have looked, standing on end, and her clothing, rumpled and mussed beyond recognition. For a brief time, she had totally lost herself in the feeling of having Inuyasha so close to her. Her goal had been to separate herself emotionally from the scene, but, instead, she had just been dragged in deeper.

The fog began lifting as the embarrassment returned, and she sneaked a glance at Inuyasha. His heavy-lidded amber eyes were now clearing of the momentary glaze, and he looked every bit as dazed as she. They were both breathing heavily.

Inuyasha turned his eyes to her, and she was sure that he shared the same confusion as she did. She drew in a deep breath, catching a lingering and burning look of longing within his gaze. Unthinking, he licked his lips. The little shiver in her spine returned.

As Hiten praised their acting in the scene, he proclaimed that they would have no need to re-shoot. The helpers began working around Kagome and Inuyasha, who were rooted to their spots.

"….Good job…" Inuyasha spoke quietly, his voice carrying an air of huskiness.

She nodded back to him, touching her lips lightly as if to reminisce about how his mouth had felt on hers.

"….You too." She whispered.

~*- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -*~

A/N: SOOOO much fan-service! ::readers die from overload::

WHEW. Is it hot in here or is it just….Inuyasha? That was fun to write, though I hope it didn't come off like a bad cliché citrus-y scene. I was just writing what I felt might happen in the situation…Jeez! Those kids sure get carried away. I guess he'd have to be a pretty darn good kisser if she forgot there was a camera in her face!

Also, I've gotten a few questions about when the truth behind the Kikyo "accident" will be revealed. In due time, my friends, in due time. It's obviously a sore subject, so Inuyasha won't reveal it to Kagome right away. When he's ready, he'll do it (no, I haven't forgotten about it XD).

So, hope you enjoyed the sexiness of a shirtless Inuyasha, and please let me know what you think (even if it IS to gripe about how lame my romance scenes are!)