InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I still don't own Inuyasha. I don't think I ever will... Also, this chapter is a bit shorter, because I needed to cut it off where I did. Sorry!

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"One Hundred Stories" Alkaline Trio

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Sunday, the following week...

Kagome had just finished cleaning her apartment that morning when there was a knock on her door, and opening it revealed Sango and Rin, both with devious grins on their faces. "What are you two up to?" Kagome asked warily.

"We're here to whisk you away for a day of money spending!" Rin cried, flashing a credit card before Kagome's eyes. "Say hello to my little friend!" she shouted in a horrible Italian accent.

Sango laughed. "What Rin's trying to say is that Sesshoumaru gave her his platinum card, we're going to meet him for lunch, and after that, Rin's buying us all Halloween costumes for next week."

"Halloween costumes?"

"Of course!" Rin exclaimed. "It's only my favorite day of the year! Now, get your purse, or we'll be late. Sesshy hates that."

(*)(*)(*)

"So, where are we eating?" Sango asked as they sat in traffic.

"Oh, nothing fancy. I told him to meet us at that Italian place over on Fourth." She giggled. "I like to watch him sneer at all the old ladies."

"You're horrible."

When the girls finally reached the restaurant Rin had chosen, Sesshoumaru was already standing outside, looking like a statue in his perfectly pressed black suit. "You're late, Rin," he commented, but he didn't appear angry at all. Actually, to Kagome, he didn't appear... well, anything.

"Well, sweetie," Rin began, "There were all these other cars in front of us, and I told them you were waiting, but they just wouldn't move."

Sesshoumaru's lip quirked; it was slight, but Kagome saw it.

"Sesshoumaru, this is Kagome," Sango told him. The slightly darker eyes of Inuyasha's older brother passed over her momentarily before they made their way inside.

After they were seated, Kagome opened her menu, and her eyes flared in panic, which Sango had been waiting for. "It's okay," she told her. "I don't know any Italian, either. Just tell Rin what you want."

"Rin knows Italian?" Kagome asked in surprise.

"No," Rin spoke up. "Just the menu. Sesshy knows Italian. And Greek, and Russian, and--"

"Rin," Sesshoumaru interrupted, something close to a smile on his face before his gaze settle on Kagome. "I trust you've had Italian before?" he asked her.

Kagome nodded. "Once or twice, but only fettuccini."

He nodded slightly. Did he ever actually move?

"I want meatballs," Sango mumbled hungrily.

"Pig," Rin muttered, giggling at the lethal glare Sango shot her way.

"Do they have fettuccini?" Kagome asked Rin.

"Of course. Is that all you're getting?"

"I don't know..."

The waiter arrived, and Sango told Sesshoumaru what she wanted. He looked to Kagome, but before she could speak, Sesshoumaru spoke to the waiter in Italian, and he young man collected their menus, hurrying away.

"Sesshy ordered for you," Rin explained.

"Oh... Thank you."

"Rin, do you know what you want to be for Halloween yet?" Sango asked.

"I'm thinking maybe a kitty," she said, winking at Sesshoumaru. He lifted an eyebrow in response. "Something cool, though, because Halloween is going to be extra special for me this year."

"It is?" Kagome asked.

Rin sighed, smiling. "I told Kagura last night. Halloween's my last night at Savvy."

"I knew it!" Sango cried, but she was smiling. "Congratulations, then."

"Thanks," Rin replied. "I'm kind of sad, though."

"Oh, hush," Sango told her. "You'll still be taking your clothes off all the time."

Sesshoumaru choked on his water.

(*)(*)(*)

After lunch (which Kagome had thought was excellent), the girls told Sesshoumaru goodbye, and made their way on foot to find a costume store. "Do you think everyone will dress up for Halloween?" Kagome asked as they walked down the crowded sidewalk. She was excited about the holiday, since she'd never celebrated it before.

"Most of the girls do," Sango replied, "and Kagura always has the best costume."

Rin wrinkled her nose. "Inuyasha never does, though. He's no fun."

After several blocks, the girls finally found a store, going inside. Rin ran straight for the display of headbands and hats, seeing a pair of fuzzy cat ears, while Sango and Kagome went towards the aisles to browse.

"I think I might be a nurse this year," Sango mused. "What about you?"

"Oh, I don't have a clue."

"Well, we'll find you something first." Sango scanned the array of packaged costumes, picking one up with a smile. "What about this? A gypsy?"

"Those pants are completely transparent!" Kagome cried.

Sango shrugged, putting it back.

"How about this one?" Kagome wondered, choosing a witch costume from the racks.

Sango lifted and eyebrow. "I don't know. It's really not... you. Besides, it's not sexy at all."

"I'm supposed to be... sexy?" Kagome gulped.

Sango looked at her knowingly. "Sweetie, we work in a strip club. I don't think a huge, furry bunny costume is going to cut it."

"...Okay."

Sango wandered ahead of Kagome, pausing here and there to look at several costumes before she stopped, an evil grin spreading across her features. "Found it!"

"You did?" Kagome asked feebly, catching up to her friend. "What is it?"

"Alice in Wonderland. It's perfect!"

Kagome looked down at the picture on the package. "Well, it's awfully... short."

"Well, it's supposed to be. Just don't bend over; you'll be fine. Look, it even has little bows on the stockings!"

Kagome laughed weakly.

(*)(*)(*)

After the costume store, Rin decided they all needed shoes for their new purchases, and after the shoes, she was certain they also needed new underwear as well. By the time they were finished with that, she insisted on buying dinner.

"I'm making Miroku rub my feet when I get home," Sango moaned as they sat in McDonald's. Rin giggled, munching on a french fry.

The muffled trill of Kagome's cell phone interrupted the conversation, and she mumbled an apology as she rooted for it in her purse, looking at the screen with a furrowed brow once she found it.

"Who is it?" Rin asked.

"I don't know the number." She held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

Sango watched as Kagome's expression turned from confused to completely horrified in a matter of seconds before she turned away from them. "I don't want to talk to you!" she whispered.

Sango and Rin exchanged a worried glance.

"You can catch the next flight out, because I'm fine. Leave me alone!" Kagome ended the call, but didn't turn back to face her friends.

"Kagome?" Sango asked in concern.

"I'm fine," she said softly, bringing a hand up to dash over her eyes.

"He's here, isn't he?"

Kagome turned, her eyes filled with tears, and simply nodded.

(*)(*)(*)

Inuyasha had been waiting for this.

He'd just gotten off the phone with Sango, who'd informed him that Kagome's fist happy ex boyfriend was in New York, and would probably be looking for her. He'd heard Kagome come in almost an hour earlier, and besides the minor sounds of her walking across the floor every so often, he heard nothing else.

Leaving his own apartment, he knocked on her door. It opened a crack as she peered out at him before opening it. "Yeah?" she asked.

It hurt him to look at her. She'd obviously been crying by the streaks on her face, and she was wearing those pajamas again, the ones that made her look so much younger than she was.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a stalker?" he asked as he walked into her living room, closing the door behind him.

She said nothing, only going to sit on her couch, grabbing a throw pillow and clutching it in her lap.

"Are you going to answer me?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"It's not your problem," she replied tiredly.

"Not my problem," he repeated, sighing. Against his better judgment, he went to sit next to her on the couch. "It is my problem, Kagome," he told her.

Her eyes flashed angrily as they met his. "Why?" she asked. "Does Kagura pay you extra to watch out for poor, defenseless girl like me who 'run away from home?' Is that it?"

"What are you talking about? Of course she doesn't!"

"Then, why would I tell you? It's not like you'd care."

Inuyasha felt as if she'd just struck him across the face. "Why wouldn't I care?" he asked quietly, carefully avoided looking at her.

She took a deep breath. "Every time we even get close to having a normal conversation, you usually ruin it by being a total jerk. It's led me think you don't like me much." She hugged the pillow in her lap closer. "And... maybe I did run away from home, and maybe it was a stupid idea, but I didn't know what else to do at the time, and I think I'm doing just fine now."

"You are," he agreed.

She looked over at him cautiously. "You think?"

He nodded. "I do. But... if this guy's in town, you ain't going out alone. I'm serious." She nodded, her chin sinking into the pillow. "Did you need to go anywhere?"

"I need groceries," she mumbled. "But I'm tired."

He stood up. "Get dressed, wench," he told her. "We'll get your damn groceries."

"I don't wanna," she whined, falling over to lay across the couch, her hair spilling across the cushions. He had the overwhelming desire to reach down and run his fingers through it.

"Well, then, I guess you're going in that," he said instead.

"What?"

"You've got five seconds," he warned.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, sitting up.

"One... two... three..."

Kagome didn't want to see what Inuyasha might do once he reached five. She jumped up from the couch and ran for her bedroom, where she threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before pulling on her penny loafers.

(*)(*)(*)

"Are you sure you don't want me to cook?" Kagome asked when they returned to her apartment over an hour later.

Inuyasha sat her bags on the counter, rolling his eyes. "The food I got is fine!"

"That is not food!"

He turned toward her, crossing his arms. "Ramen is food."

Kagome sighed heavily. "It's a wonder you're not fat."

"Oi!" he cried. She giggled as she started putting her groceries away. "This coming from the girl who bought three boxes of honey buns?"

"I like honey buns."

"Well, I like ramen." He was going to make a comment on honey buns having a much higher fat content, but suddenly lost his voice at the sight of Kagome standing on tip toe to put a box of pasta away in one of her cabinets, which was causing her sweatshirt to reveal a very nice amount of her back to him.

"So, what are you doing to do now?" she asked as she settled back onto her feet. Inuyasha let out a long breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"I don't know. Might watch some television. You're not going to bed?"

"Nope, I'm wide awake now," she replied, putting the last of her groceries in the fridge. "I think I'm finally starting to get used to this whole night owl thing."

Inuyasha wondered if he should go, or if she was wanting him to stay. Or if she wanted him to stay, if he should. What if Sango was right, and Kagome liked him? It's not like she's going to come onto you, a voice in his head sighed. Besides, what else are you going to do all night? Sit in front of the TV and write until you pass out? Pathetic.

Keh!

"Inuyasha?"

Pulled from his thoughts, he realized Kagome was standing right in front of him. "What?"

"I asked if you wanted something to drink," she said, smiling. "Are you sure you're not tired?"

"I'm fine. Water's fine." He casually made his way to Kagome's couch, sitting down.

"Watch whatever you want," she told him as she grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge before joining him.

That was when her cell phone rang.

Inuyasha watched Kagome carefully as she reached over to answer it, glancing at the screen with a puckered brow. "Hello?"

"Kagome, what was that crap earlier?"

Hearing Kouga's voice on the other end of the line, Inuyasha stuck his hand out. "Give me the phone," he told her.

She shook her head slightly, motioning for him to be quiet. "Kouga--"

"Who was that?" Kouga interrupted. "Is someone there?"

Inuyasha could smell the flare of panic in Kagome, and it put him on edge. Using more speed than was probably safe in front of the girl, he reached over and deftly plucked the phone from her hand. "Yeah, someone's here, asshole."

"Who the fuck are you?" Kouga demanded.

"That's really nothing you should be worrying about, now is it? Stop calling Kagome." That said, Inuyasha hung up the phone.

And Kagome burst into tears.

Inuyasha gaped at her for a full five seconds before realizing he should most likely do something.

But what did he do?

"K-Kagome?"

"Why'd you do that?" she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "He's going to be so m-m-mad!"

"And you care?" He scowled. "Don't tell me you still have feelings for--"

"No!" She let her hands fall into her lap, and seeing her tear stained face made him want to whimper. "But... he'll find me. He always does."

"You've left him before?"

She nodded, wiping at her nose. "Not like this, but yeah. I'd go to a friend's house, or my aunt's, or... or anywhere. It didn't matter. He always found me. It won't be any different this time."

The empty tone of her voice made him want to track Kouga down and rip him apart. "It's different now," he assured her.

Her eyes fastened to his. "How?" He saw the cautious hope in the brown depths.

"Because you ain't going anywhere you don't want to," he replied. "I'll make sure of that. So stop worrying about it, okay?"

Kagome wiped at her eyes, giving him a quick nod. "Okay."

He shifted his gaze away, feeling vaguely unsettled. "Good. Now, let's see what's not on TV tonight."

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ShaylaBlade- Sorry it took so long! ;)

Princess-In-Training- I seem to have you in suspense. I'm sorry... or am I? Heh. Glad you're enjoying!

Tarzan from fanfic.net- Actually, I'm not sure...

Lil Pix- Thank you...

Inuyashaloverr- I know all about computer problems! Thanks for the review.

eien_ni_kawaii- Hope you liked it!

cerridwen ereshkigal- Thanks for the enthusiasm! I could use it... (tired)

GinaCat- Thanks!

demonpriestess07- I wish I could write faster, but having a real life gets in the way... =)