InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

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

We've established that Inuyasha isn't mine, right? Right. And a BIG SORRY for taking so long. You probably don't care to hear the whole, long story, but let's just say our apartment's septic tank, um, went nuts. The whole place has flooded about four times, and we've been trying to get it fixed. All the while, washing everything in the house over and over, and I really haven't had time to write, though believe me, I've missed it. Cleaning for a month straight just really isn't my thing. For the moment, the floors are dry...

*******

"Bastard" Dope

"Here Is Gone" Goo Goo Dolls

*******

Kagome looked at her wristwatch as the party continued on, surprised to see it was nearly five in the morning.

She was startled from her thoughts when someone grabbed her arm, and she turned to see Rin with a wicked smile on her face. "Come with me," she told Kagome, leading her out of the room, where she saw Sango standing in the hallway.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked warily.

"We're sneaking out," Sango informed her.

"Where? Why?"

Rin winked. "Hot tub."

"...Hot tub?"

(*)(*)(*)

As Inuyasha's eyes scanned the room once more, Miroku sighed. "Looking for someone?"

"No, who would I be looking for?" he replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, if you happened to be looking for... say, Kagome, I bet I have a good idea where she ran off to."

Inuyasha's golden eyes fastened to Miroku's. "Ran off? What are you talking about?"

Miroku smiled. "Follow me."

(*)(*)(*)

"Oh, this feels great," Sango sighed as she sank further into the water.

Kagome nodded in agreement, adjusting the strap of the bathing suit Rin had let her wear. The top was a little snug.

"Sango and I are always in this thing," Rin told Kagome. "Ever since I moved in, anyway." Rin closed her eyes, her head falling back to rest on the edge of the tub.

Kagome was feeling deliciously drowsy when Sango spoke again. "So, Kagome, what did Inuyasha think of your costume?"

On the other side of the hedge that separated the hot tub from Sesshoumaru's expansive back yard, Miroku nudged Inuyasha.

"We shouldn't be here," Inuyasha whispered. Miroku gestured for him to keep quiet.

"Um, I don't think he thought anything about it," Kagome replied.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked. "I've never known him to be so clumsy as to slam his finger in the cash register."

Kagome felt herself blushing. "People have accidents," she mumbled.

"So, you're staying it wouldn't thrill you if he thought you looked hot?" Rin pressed.

"He doesn't!" Kagome laughed nervously.

"What makes you think that?" Sango asked.

"Because... he doesn't act that way. We're friends."

"Sweetie, Inuyasha doesn't act like anybody," Rin informed her. "Same with Sesshoumaru. He ignored me for months, then told me he was taking me to dinner. I almost fell over in shock."

"I remember that," Sango giggled. "I guess I should be thankful that Miroku is so straight forward."

"That's one word for it," Rin laughed. Sango splashed her.

Kagome sighed wistfully. "You guys are lucky."

Sango gave her an encouraging smile. "You'll find someone, Kagome. Don't let one jerk ruin everything for you. I didn't."

"No, she just found a pervert instead," Rin commented, sticking her tongue out at her friend.

"Perverts have their advantages," Sango replied in a cool tone, smiling secretively.

From their hiding spot, Miroku gave Inuyasha a victorious grin. The hanyou rolled his eyes.
Miroku's grin only intensified, and he stood, leaving Inuyasha alone. Arching a brow, Inuyasha decided to follow, balking when he realized Miroku was leading him straight toward the girls. It was too late to turn around, though.

"I thought I'd find you here, Sango," his friend said innocently enough as he neared the hot tub.

"You know, you're not supposed to be out here, Miroku," she reminded him.

"Well, I wouldn't have, but Inuyasha was looking for Kagome. I believe he's ready to leave."

"Oh!" Kagome piped up, distracting Inuyasha from thumping Miroku on the head. "I'll just go get dressed, then."

Kagome stood, and Inuyasha nearly fell over at the sight of her, turning his head away quickly as she stepped out of the hot tub. He saw Miroku smirking, and had the urge to wipe the expression off his face with a good punch.

(*)(*)(*)

Inuyasha woke up the next afternoon and let out a huge yawn before standing up from the couch. Looking across his floor, he saw the balled up pieces of paper from where he'd attempted to write the night before. If it hadn't been for Kagome, he wouldn't have had any trouble.

"Thanks for bringing me home," she told him, smiling slightly as she stood before her open door.

"It's no big deal."

Before Inuyasha knew what was happening, she breached the space between them, brushing her lips over his cheek, and as he stood in the hallway, stunned, she quickly disappeared into her apartment.

He tried to tell himself it wasn't anything, that he was only surprised. Plenty of the girls he worked with had done the exact same thing from time to time...

Inuyasha scowled, shaking the memory from his head. Stop thinking about it! he ordered himself.

At least it was Kagome's day off.

(*)(*)(*)

"You know, you're in a bad mood," Sango commented later that evening as she sat at the bar. Business was unusually slow, and she really had nothing else to do.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, throwing the towel down he'd been using to dust the back shelves. "Can't you find something better to do than annoy me?"

Sango giggled. "Nope, not a thing. I do wonder, though, what Kagome's doing. She hasn't come down once tonight."

"It's still early."

Sango smiled impishly. "Do you want her to come down?"

"Kami," Inuyasha groaned, his ears drooping under the cover of his hat. "Can I say anything without somehow incriminating myself to you?"

"I don't know. I just find it--"

Inuyasha cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth. "Shut up for a second," he said quietly, his brow furrowed as he looked to the door.

Sango removed his hand, frowning. "What is it?"

"Youkai."

"Since when is that a big deal?" she asked, puzzled at the seriousness of Inuyasha's expression.

"Since I'm not familiar with the scent, that's when."

Sango followed Inuyasha's intense gaze, and moments later the door swung open, and a long haired young man stepped in, his piercing blue eyes scanning the room in almost a predatory manner.

A wolf youkai, Inuyasha mused as he looked over the stranger, his hackles raised. The wolf's eyes suddenly met his own, and Inuyasha watched his expression quickly become suspicious. He stalked over to the bar, sneering. "Where's Kagome?" he demanded.

Inuyasha was hard pressed to hide his shock. This was Kouga? This was the boyfriend that had used her for a punching bag? Someone with a hundred times the strength she had? Does she know? he wondered.

Forcing the litany of questions from his head, Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Who wants to know?" he asked calmly.

Kouga had changed his focus to Sango, however. "You know her," he said with a scowl.

"What are you talking about?" Sango managed, glaring at him hotly before sending Inuyasha a look that clearly screamed, 'help me!'

"Your business is with me," the hanyou stated, drawing Kouga's penetrating eyes back to him.

"And what is that, half breed?" Kouga's blue eyes suddenly widened with recognition. "You were that little jerk on the phone, weren't you?"

Inuyasha smirked. "And what if I was?"

"You'll tell me where Kagome is. I know she's near."

"Wow, you've got a nose," Inuyasha remarked dryly. "I wouldn't really worry where Kagome is, though. You won't be seeing her."

Kouga narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think you can stop me?"

"Call it conceit," Inuyasha replied with a shrug. "Also, you ain't the only youkai in this place, in case you didn't notice. And Kagome's got friends here, where you don't. On top of all that, I have the authority to kick your flea-ridden ass out of here. So I suggest you go out the way you came in."

Kouga smiled thinly. "That's fine, mutt. Kagome has to leave here sometime." Inuyasha only nodded in return before Kouga turned and left.

Sango immediately turned to Inuyasha, her eyes wide with fear. "Should I go tell Kagome?"

Inuyasha shook his head; he knew Kagome wouldn't take this well. "She won't leave here without telling someone. I'll let her know after I close up."

"Well, I hope you'll be sensitive about it."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

Sango only sighed.

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome was almost ready for bed when she heard the knock on her door. Opening it, she smiled softly at Inuyasha. She'd been a little worried after the kiss she'd given him the night before. She never would have done it if she hadn't been so tipsy. Seeing the grim expression on his face, however, she wondered if maybe she should worry even more. "What's the matter?" she asked, allowing him to step inside, where he closed the door.

"I need to talk to you."

"Um, okay," she replied nervously, going to sit on the couch where he joined her. Her mind was racing. What would he say to her? Was he really so upset about it? Kami, I'm so stupid, she told herself.

Inuyasha stared blankly at the trunk that served as her coffee table, catching the scent of her rising anxiety. He wished he knew the right way to use words, some way where they wouldn't hurt her so badly. He knew, however, that he'd never been any good with words, and trying to be at this moment might be a horrible mistake. Sighing, he just told her the truth. "Kouga came by earlier."

He heard the sharp inhale of her breath, and the trembling of it as she released it. She hugged her arms tightly. "Well... I told you he'd find me," she said softly, not looking at him.

Inuyasha wondered again how much Kagome really knew about Kouga, but it wasn't something he could outright ask her, though he itched to do it. If she didn't know anything, it would look suspicious on his part.

Seeing the vague sheen of tears in Kagome's eyes, Inuyasha decided it didn't matter how much she knew. "So what if he found you?" he said, not exactly the best at comforting anyone. "It don't matter."

She nodded slightly. "I suppose not, but it doesn't scare me any less." She looked up, putting on a smile that he knew was solely for his benefit. "Well," she said, standing up. "I guess I'll go to bed, if that's alright." Inuyasha said nothing, watching her eyes, and feeling pained. "Goodnight, Inuyasha." Kagome turned to go to her bedroom, the scent of her tears growing stronger. He leapt up from the couch, catching her wrist. He had no idea what to do, but he knew he couldn't just let her go.

"Kagome..."

He didn't have time to come up with anything better; in a flurry of motion, Kagome was suddenly flush against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Completely unsettled by her closeness, Inuyasha nearly stepped back. He stopped himself, though, forcing himself to fold his arms around her instead. "Y-you'll be fine," he assured her, not even realizing he was speaking. It felt so strange to be holding anyone.

Kagome didn't reply; she couldn't. Finally, the scent of her tears mingled with the intoxicating smell of her hair became too much for him, and he pulled away. "You going to be alright?" he asked her.

She nodded, wiping at her tear streaked face. "I'll try to be."

He grimaced. "Look... Why don't I stay on the couch, or something? Would you feel better, then?"

She laughed weakly, looking up at him, and he could see the surprised in her eyes. "I... I wouldn't want you to have to do that. You're just across the hall, and..." She sniffled.

"It ain't a big deal. I sleep on my own couch most of the time. At least yours has got all those fluffy pillows."

She giggled a little at that, and he smiled. "Well, alright," she conceded. "I'll get you a blanket."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, waving her off.

"Are you sure?"

"Go to sleep, wench."

Her smile widened at that. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

He didn't answer, only watched as she retreated into her room. After she was gone, he allowed himself a deep sigh.

He knew Kouga would return, and it wasn't possible for him to keep a constant vigil over Kagome. He also knew he could make one short phone call to Sesshoumaru, and Kouga would be back in Japan in a heartbeat. It wasn't the way he liked to handle things, however, and the wolf would only bide his time and return.

Knowing it would do no good to dwell on the situation, at least not at the moment when he was stuck somewhere for the rest of the night, Inuyasha turned on Kagome's television, careful to keep the volume low. After twenty minutes, however, it was apparent there was nothing on, and he switched it off again.

Pacing the apartment, he looked around for a source of amusement. There wasn't much to see besides some framed photos on the walls, and a shelf of books. He wasn't a huge reader, but he figured there wasn't anything else to do.

Glancing over the first row of book spines, Inuyasha smirked, rolling his eyes. It was all manga, and mostly girly stuff, at that.

The second shelf, however, made his brow furrow with confusion. Medical books? he wondered. What need did Kagome have for those?

Picking one up, he flipped it open, thumbing through the pages. As he did, he noticed notes were scribbled throughout the text. Definitions, study reminders, test dates...

His eyes widened in shock. She was in medical school?

All the books he looked through contained such notes. Anatomy texts, pharmacology, pathology... the list kept growing, and so did Inuyasha's anger. She'd left college to run away from that mangy wolf. He had the sudden urge to leave, track Kouga down, and shove every single one of the books up his ass. He knew he couldn't leave Kagome alone, though.

Returning the books where they belonged, Inuyasha scanned the shelf below them, where he saw what appeared to be a photo album. Dragging it out, he opened it to find it was actually a scrapbook. Hoping to take his mind off finding Kouga, he sat in the floor to have a look.

The first page was full of old photos, and Inuyasha assumed the infant in them was Kagome, considering there was a scrap of her baby blanket on the page, labeled with neat text. There were many pages of baby Kagome, and Inuyasha was quickly becoming bored, because pups really didn't do much of anything.

After those pages, however, were photographs that were slightly more interesting, featuring a slightly older Kagome, along with another baby with an unusually fat head. She'd mentioned she had a brother once. There were pictures of them at festivals, and of Kagome's first day of kindergarten. Other photos featured her mother and her grandfather, and also pictures of the shrine where she had grown up.

As he turned the pages, Kagome aged before his eyes, as did her little brother, who's name he read was Souta. More pictures showed her hugging a very obese cat, and also in her first school fuku. After these were pictures of other children, most likely Kagome's friends from school.

After many pages, Inuyasha saw a more familiar looking Kagome, although her hair had grown much longer since her junior high years. Other than that, she really didn't look much different. Stuck on the pages next to photographs were school awards, mementos from different things, such as vacations and trips to the movies.

The pages of her high school years weren't much different, although Kagome was pictured more and more frequently with a boy named Houjo, and there was even a pressed flower taped to one page, which made Inuyasha roll his eyes in disgust. The next pages were far more interesting, showing Kagome in medical school. This was, however, when Kouga seemed to enter the picture, and Inuyasha found himself growling at a photograph of a smirking Kouga with his arm slung around Kagome's shoulders. As the pictures progressed, Inuyasha didn't fail to notice how Kagome's smiles seemed more forced. The bastard better hope he doesn't come back, Inuyasha thought, imagining scenes of violence that he hoped could one day become reality.

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome woke up the next morning feeling refreshed.

That was, until she remembered. Kouga knew where she was.

And Inuyasha had slept in her living room.

Finding a brush in the drawer of her nightstand, Kagome hurriedly ran it through her hair before checking her face in the full length mirror on her closet door. Deciding she looked decent enough, she peered out of her bedroom, and what she saw made her smile.

Inuyasha was fast asleep on her couch, his head hanging off one of the cushions, causing the silver hair beneath his sock cap to spill onto the floor. Kagome ducked back into her room, gathering her clothes and crossing the hall to the bathroom. She'd slept late, but if she hurried, she'd have time to fix Inuyasha breakfast. It was the only thing she could think to do to thank him for staying. After getting ready, however, she found her living room empty. "Well, that was rude," she mumbled. Looking at her clock, though, she realized she really didn't have time for cooking. She grabbed a granola bar instead before leaving her apartment and going downstairs for her shift.

Downstairs, her brow furrowed in confusion when she saw Eric behind the bar. "What are you doing?" she asked, taking a seat.

"Oh, Inuyasha's off tonight," he told her.

"Off? I thought he was only off on Sundays."

"Kagura told me she gives him an extra day off every month. It's just you and me tonight," he said with a smile.

"Great," she replied, hoping she sounded convincing. She could only hope it wouldn't be very busy.

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Okay, I hope I get everyone who reviewed since last chapter. If I forget, I'm sure Rinlover will be more than happy to beat me. =) I love having such a violent group of reviewers! (I think... heh.) These replies are from oldest to newest.

eien ni kawaii- Sorry you had to wait so long.

badgirl1093- Thank you!

Jaden Birdie Blythe- I'm hoping for fluff myself, but I just have to be patient. Stories write themselves, really.

Rinlover- *runs from the shifty eyes* Nah, just kidding. I hope this chapter was kickass as well. The next one should be even better. I hope, anyway.

Princess-in-Training- Um... it's coming? Don't get too upset. =)

inuyashaloverr- Well, now you know! Yeah...

wolf mistress- I'll try to update sooner next time.

GinaCat- It's always good to be told I rock. Heehee.

Lonely Lady- I'm not going to give up, don't worry. Thanks for the encouragement.

Reikai- Thanks, that means a lot.

Lil Pix- Well, your fist shaking didn't work as well as you hoped, probably, but here it is!

ShaylaBlade- Eeek! Violence!

White Luna- Thanks for the congrats. Even though I came nowhere close to winning, it was fun to be nominated!

SakuraWings- Yeah, I know how you feel, and thank you.

Rinlover- I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! I guess you should get that red hot metal spike ready, huh?

Laurell-chan- Thanks!

Rinlover- If you keep hurting me, I won't be able to type! Well, I suppose I will, as long as you leave my hands... *scurries away*

The goddess Rhiannon- Sorry it took forever!

Melzilla- Thanks! Yeah, I don't know where that comment came from, but it just seemed like something that would irk Inuyasha.

ShaylaBlade- Yes, I will update. Um... well, I guess that was obvious.