InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Afternoon is Ours ❯ Perilous Haven ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I don't surf. I don't own any of the places mentioned, but my friend owns Kagome's house. Happy?

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Kagome was driving. Where, she didn't know. In fact, there wasn't much she did know. All she was sure of was the sea salt-rich air that threw her black hair about her face, the vibrant emerald of the trees, and the feeling of joy at being free. There was nowhere she couldn't go, nobody to tell her "no." It was amazing.

Suddenly, she turned around a bend. There, spread out before her was a windswept bay, surrounded by rugged cliffs and a sandy beach. Beyond the shores was a small town. She stopped her car on the side of the road and leaned against the hood.

"Beautiful," she whispered, in awe of the view. With a slight frown, she focused on the small town. "I wonder..." A brilliant smile lit her already beautiful features and she all but leapt into her old convertible. She was going to go to that town. She was going to rent a house. She was going to get a new life, one where she could be the one to make the choices. The sensation of soft butterfly wings fluttering in her stomach grew as she put the beat-up car in drive. Only a little longer...

* * *

Inuyasha looked at the conditions of the water before him. There was a great offshore wind that was creating beautifully heavy waves and the large bay was nearly empty. The only people around were a few out-of-towners, which suited him fine. Being the only local, he would get priority. Inuyasha liked having priority.

He grinned and grabbed his board off the roof of his car. With waves getting to about ten feet, today looked like it would be a great day for surfing. This was his life, right here.

As Inuyasha walked smoothly down the wind-swept dunes, he noticed a girl seated precariously atop a rock. She had a sketchpad in her lap and a pencil was scratching its surface with deliberate strokes. Her ebony hair was let loose, falling over her shoulders in soft waves. The wind lifted strands of it up playfully and she would occasionally tuck them behind her ears. A deep concentration showed in her pretty face, her elegant eyebrows knit together slightly and her blue eyes only wavering from the paper to glance at the ocean. Frowning, he continued on his way to the beach. He never liked artsy people who tried to capture his waves in a moment. In his opinion, they weren't meant for that.

Scoffing lightly, he sat down on the ground, board laid out before him. Let the stupid wench do what she wanted with her time. He didn't care. He snorted and began to scrape off the wax leftover from last week with his credit card. I really need a job, he thought absently. I can't seem to afford enough sex wax these days. Pulling out a block of Mrs. Palmer's, he began to apply it rhythmically with practiced strokes. He could feel someone watching him, but he didn't particularly care. There were too many things on his mind.

Pronouncing his board ready, he tossed the wax over his shoulder to rest with his towel and bag. Yes, today was a day for surfing.

* * *

Kagome's jaw dropped open when she saw the silver-haired man. She ripped out the drawing she had been working on a moment ago to start a new one of him. As he sat down with his board on his lap, Kagome's picture began to mimic his poses. He was completely amazing to her, from the triangle ears atop his head to his bare feet. Obviously a youkai. She smiled slightly at the Japanese term. The people had managed to spread the title after discovering the first demon in their country since the end of the Sengoku Jidai. She remembered reading it in the LA Times twelve years ago. After that, millions of the supernatural beings had thrown away their disguises. Back then the discrimination was unbelievable. Gradually, however, people got used to the idea and those with demon blood were accepted into society by all but the least educated of folks.

Kagome shook herself out of her self-given history lesson and returned to her sketch. It was turning out beautifully, she thought. Something about this man just completely enthralled her, letting whatever raw talent she possessed pour forth into each stroke of the pencil.

She no longer needed to look at him; the image was burned firmly in her mind, right down to the lazy smile in his eyes that didn't show on his mouth. She could concentrate fully on her hand motions. This was how she knew that whatever she was drawing was important to her, though why he was she couldn't comprehend.

Shrugging, she decided it didn't really matter. Instead of thinking, she threw herself whole-heartedly into her work, determined to finish.

* * *

When Kagome finally looked up from her sketchpad, the silver-haired man was gone. She frowned and looked around the rocky beach. Nothing.

Suddenly, a glint caught her eye. There, in the water and not too far from her, was the stranger. He was straddling his board, staring at the open ocean. She began sketching him again, taking in his searching eyes and relaxed position. She became so engrossed with him that she missed the increase of spray that splashed about her rock and the water that slowly crept around its sides to surround it. She didn't even see the exceptionally large wave coming toward her until it crashed over her head, dragging her into the cold, unforgiving ocean.

* * *

Inuyasha saw her go under. One moment, she was watching him with those piercing eyes, the next she was being sucked below the foam. He didn't stop to think, only began to paddle towards her immediately. Images of her pretty face smashing against the rock filled his head. Or perhaps she would become trapped by driftwood to drown slowly, the edges of her vision going black as her oxygen-deprived brain clung to its last moments of consciousness...

He dove down to find her awake and very much in tact, if a little disoriented, just below the surface. He threw his arm around her slim waist and tugged her up, making sure she got a firm grip on his surfboard when they broke the surface. She clung to it, coughing and sputtering, as Inuyasha dragged her out of harm's way.

When she was safely on the beach, he scooted away on his backside to watch her from a respectful distance. She sat up and touched her head gingerly.

"Ouch," she mumbled as she turned to Inuyasha.

"That was stupid," he replied unsympathetically.

She winced at his blunt statement, recoiling slightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "Thank you for saving me."

He colored slightly. "Keh. It was nothin'."

The woman shrugged and stood up, brushing the sand off her very wet pants. "I don't suppose I'll ever see my sketchbook again." Her voice was laden with sorrow.

"You can get a new one," Inuyasha said, unconcerned.

Her eyes flashed. "But not the pictures inside!" she protested.

"A small price to pay for your life!" he shouted.

"Yeah, well, what do you know?" She matched his volume, decibel for decibel. "Those drawings ARE my life!"

"Keh! Scratches of graphite on bits of tree? Some life!" He regretted saying almost instantly as her eyes welled up with tears she was trying valiantly not to cry.

"What do you know?" she repeated, more quietly this time. "It's better than the real world."

Inuyasha had no answer to this. What did he know?

"Look, I have to go now. Thanks for saving me." She took his hand in her own and shook it. "Goodbye." Her voice was clipped, her anger showing through.

"Keh," was all he replied.

With that, she spun around on her heel and walked down the beach, towards the tunnel that would lead her through the cliff and out to the parking lot, where she would get into her car and drive out of his life forever.

"Good riddance," he muttered as he lugged his board back into the water, but he couldn't stop the traitorous sinking of his heart as he thought about those jaded, painful eyes of hers.

* * *

Kagome stormed up the stairs, feeling furious. How one guy she'd just met could annoy her so much was baffling. She was generally an easy-going person.

With a sigh, she climbed back into her unlocked car and slammed the door, her hair and clothes dripping. She opened her pocket, thanking God she had worn the pants with the zippers, and withdrew her keys. They jangled merrily. Kagome was already feeling better. Sure, maybe one guy was a jerk, but she could probably go for ages without seeing him, even in a town like that one.

Besides, she thought, surely everyone else here has manners. They're probably very nice, sensible people; just the kind I'd like to meet.

With this comforting concept, she backed out of the parking lot and drove towards the real estate office she had seen on her way into town. That would be the place to start looking for a house to stay in.

Five minutes and a change of clothes later, Kagome pushed open a door. A bell rang from right above and warm air enveloped her. She shuffled in nervously; it appeared to be empty.

"Hello?" she called out tentatively.

"Hello to you, too," a male voice replied from behind her. "Well, aren't you a pretty one..." She whirled around to see bright eyes looking her over.

"Um..." She shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"What can I do for ya?" he asked as if nothing had happened. Kagome blinked, then shook her head lightly.

"I need to rent a house," she answered.

"Well, you've damn well come to the right place!" he laughed, showing off pointed canines that marked him a youkai. His black hair, tied back in a ponytail, shook slightly. "The name's Kouga. I own a helluva lot of the houses around here and I rent 'em out to whoever's interested. What kinda house you need?"

"Well...um...something on the small side, no more than three bedrooms but less is fine, a beach view and preferably easy access to it." She paused, thinking. "Um...that's all, I guess."

Kouga nodded enthusiastically. "Perfect, perfect. How many people staying?"

"Just me."

"Good, good. And for how long?"

Kagome hesitated at this. "I...I don't know. Quite a while," she murmured.

The youkai raised an eyebrow. "Like a month?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "Longer. Years, maybe."

"Right-o. You'll pay monthly then, not weekly like most people do." He flashed her a blindingly white smile and led her up to the desk at the back of the office. He pulled out a slim magazine. "Here," he said as he handed it to her. "Look through it. See anything you like, just tell me."

"What is it?" Kagome asked, staring at the picture of the rocks she was on earlier that was on the cover.

"Catalogue of the homes I own, of course," he told her matter-of-factly. "You gotta know what they look like before you can choose!"

"But what about the ones you're rented out to people?"

Kouga looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you kidding? This is Netarts, Oregon. Nobody's ever heard of this town, let alone wants to vacation here."

Kagome bit back a smile as she peeled back the front page. The handsome man had confirmed it: she had come to the right place to hide from Naraku.

With the happy thought of never being found, Kagome began looking for a home with a fervor that startled Kouga.

"Easy, babe," he said, taking it from her gently. "It costs money to make these things," he explained as he waved it in her face.

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm just anxious to find a place."

Kouga nodded sympathetically. "Here, let me help," he offered. "I know these houses like no one else, so I can find what you're looking for faster than you."

He opened the catalogue without waiting for an answer and flipped to the fourth page.

"Now," he began, "this house is kinda old, from maybe the thirties or forties..."

* * *

An hour later, Kagome climbed into her car. Kouga jumped in beside her.

"All right," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get started.

She nodded and turned the keys in the ignition, shifting into reverse.

As she backed out of the small parking lot, Kouga began to direct her to the house she had chosen tentatively. They were simple instructions and it didn't take long to reach it.

Kagome parked in the driveway and both of them got out. It was a small place that was near the edge of a drop off that overlooked the ocean. A swing made of driftwood and sea rope hung from a hefty-looking tree with branches that split from the trunk in an inviting formation. So far, Kagome approved. It was quaint, a two-story house. Kouga opened the door for her.

"Ladies first," he joked, and Kagome smiled as she stepped into the kitchen. It was a little cramped, but would no doubt serve its purpose. She turned her attention to Kouga, who was rambling on about the place.

"...tiled floors and the walls are painted. Well, in this room, at least."

Kagome looked around. The walls did indeed have color, a mellow shade of sunshine and the cabinets deep blue. The effect was bright and cheerful; just Kagome's style.

"Everything in here works, but the fridge has some nasty stuff in it from the one time I had a party here. I'd stay out of it for now." He grinned at her, then walked through an open doorway. She followed obediently.

"This is the living room. The front door is over to your right, nothing special. But the really cool thing about this room is the bay window."

He really hadn't needed to mention it; Kagome had noticed it immediately. She was awed by the spectacular view. It was a picturesque spectacle of the sea and the sun was setting into the water. She tore her eyes away from the ocean and saw a quick route to the beach. She sighed happily.

Her wide-eyed silence made Kouga chuckle. He tapped her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. "Sorry. I have to go now, but I'll see you later?" He looked at Kagome hopefully.

"Of course, Kouga! I'd love to get together sometime." She smiled kindly and kissed his cheek. "Now off with you!" She pushed him by the shoulders out of the house, laughing. He waved as he walked down the road, presumably to his house. She watched him go, leaning against the doorframe. When he turned out of her view, she went inside and closed the door behind her.

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Hm. So it begins.