InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Ten ( Chapter 10 )

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

Not mine. Woot. Woot. (I'm so creative with these notes after midnight...) I thought I'd also put a note that if any of you have been to my Inuyasha fiction site, I'm sorry, but I deleted it. Angelfire has been giving me nothing but grief in the html editor, which is strange, because I never had a problem with my Buffy fiction site. I got tired of editing the same pages over and over again, so it's gone. Good thing I never got that far with it, huh? Also, when I have my new site, I'm going to begin posting the soundtrack to this story on it, complete with lyrics. Yay! And... last thing. The new, very minor character, is a shout out to my cousin, who will never read this, but I didn't care. She's so cute, and she's getting married to one of my best friends!

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"Absence Makes the Day Go Longer" Cursive

"Cold (But I'm Still Here)" Evans Blue (perfect song for Kikyou, check it out)

*******

Inuyasha gazed out his living room windows at the setting sun, something very akin to a pout on his face. He hated being stuck in his apartment. He hated the night of the new moon even more.

Scowling, he felt his senses dulling to the point of uselessness, and looked at his hands to see his claws receding. As his hair darkened to a glossy black, he took his sock cap from his head, tossing it to the floor on his way to the couch. He had a night of television and writing before him, and not much else.

Just as he settled himself, however, his cell rang, and he sprang up from the couch to his kitchen counter, where it was plugged in to charge. The number on the screen was from Savvy. "Hello?" he answered, figuring it was Kagura or Sango.

"Hey." His eyes widened in surprise, hearing Kagome's voice.

"Oh. Hi."

"I was just calling because Kagura's going to order pizza. Want me to bring you up some when it gets here?"

"No," he said, more firmly than he'd intended to. "I just... I'm... sick." He winced at his own stupid excuse.

"Sick. Oh," she replied as if realizing something. "I was wondering why you left in such a hurry today."

"Yeah. I've been throwing up all day. A lot," he added, hoping to discourage her from trying to visit him.

"Aw," she said in a sympathetic tone. "Well, I guess pizza would be a bad idea, then."

"Probably."

"Well, what about some chicken soup? I could make you some on my break. It might make you feel better."

"No. Thanks, though."

"Are you sure you're alright? You sound... I don't know. Funny."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"Well... okay," she said, sounding reluctant. "I'll just let you rest, okay?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up, heaving a large sigh. Hiding his human night was going to be slightly more difficult with Kagome around.

(*)(*)(*)

On her break, Kagome went upstairs to grab a snack, but stopped at Inuyasha's door, frowning in concern. "Inuyasha? Are you sure you don't want some soup?" she called, but there was no reply. "Maybe he fell asleep," she told herself, but she was worrying her lip as she entered her own apartment.

In his living room, Inuyasha was staring at his door, keeping quiet. He didn't want to alert Kagome to the fact that he'd heard her very clearing. He didn't want to encourage her attempts to see him, however. He'd just tell her he'd fallen asleep, which was going to be true before too much longer. Being in his human form always made him sleepy. He thought it might be because he slept so little the rest of the time. He didn't mind it, though. Sleeping made the time pass more quickly, and he'd be himself again soon...

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome hurried up the stairs once the bar was closed for the night, more than grateful to be away from Eric. She liked him well enough, but he was a little overbearing sometimes, and she wasn't in the best mood.

Knocking on Inuyasha's door, she sighed when there was no answer. She'd really started to worry about him. Vomiting could be a sign of something more serious than a common virus, and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she made sure he was alright.

When knocking again yielded no results, Kagome tried the door, finding it unlocked. She hesitated a moment, hoping Inuyasha wouldn't be angry at her for barging in, then swung the door open, stepping inside.

She stopped immediately, gasping. There was someone on Inuyasha's couch, but it wasn't him. He appeared to be Inuyasha's age, though, so she was sure he must know him, especially since he was passed out on the couch. But where was Inuyasha? And why was he having people over if he was so sick?

Stepping quietly around the couch, Kagome found the bathroom to be open, and unoccupied. The same proved true for Inuyasha's disaster of a bedroom. Where was he?

Returning to the living room, Kagome studied the young man on the couch. Should she wake him up and ask him where Inuyasha had gone? She really didn't want to do that; she had no idea who he was...

Kagome's brow furrowed as she continued to look at him. His shining black hair was longer than hers, much like Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's. Was he related to them? Looking over his face, she thought it was likely; he looked very similar to Inuyasha.

Walking softly, Kagome approached the young man, tapping him on the shoulder. "Excuse me."

Inuyasha woke up to the feel of an annoying pressure on his shoulder. Wondering what the hell was going on, he opened his eyes, and found himself staring up at... "Kagome?" he mumbled. "What are you doing here?" Maybe I'm dreaming again, he thought sleepily. Because Kagome couldn't be in here. Tonight's--

Inuyasha suddenly sat up in a panic, forcing Kagome back several steps. "What the hell are you doing in here?" he snapped, standing up and stalking towards her.

Her jaw dropped open as her eyes widened. "I-Inuyasha?"

"How the hell did you get in here?" he demanded as Kagome stepped back towards the open doorway, her eyes wide.

"T-The door was unlocked. I was just... just worried," she stammered, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Don't lie to me. I never forget to lock the door when--" He cut himself off, glaring at her.

"Inuyasha? What... what happened to..."

He growled, taking her by the arm and leading her into the hallway. Once she was out of the way, he slammed the door, locking it with more force than necessary. If he'd been in his hanyou form, he knew he would have broken it.

Sighing angrily, Inuyasha went to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He couldn't believe he'd failed to lock the door before falling asleep. What was Kagome thinking? If he hadn't been so confused, he could have fooled her into believing he was someone else; he'd noticed the shock on her face when she'd realized it was him. She hadn't known before he'd yelled at her. He could have easily lied to her. Now, he had no idea what to do, or what Kagome must be thinking.

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome felt completely numb as she stood in the hallway, looking at Inuyasha's door. She'd heard him lock it, and knew it wouldn't be opening any time soon. Not for her, anyway. Well, I can't stand out here all night, she told herself.

Letting herself into her apartment, she sighed shakily, trying to think. "That was him," she assured herself. "Of course it was. No one else I know can yell like that." She felt her lip trembling, and bit it softly to keep it still. She was not going to cry just because Inuyasha was a jerk.

Even though it was obvious he hated her now.

Still, her mind kept returning to that black hair, and the fringe of long bangs over his brow that had always been hidden from her before. Seeing his hair that color hadn't been what had unsettled her; people colored their hair all the time.

It had been his eyes.

When she'd realized it was him, she hadn't been able to stop staring at his eyes. Gone were the molten gold that had always seemed to catch her off guard any time Inuyasha so much as looked at her. Instead, they'd been a deep, rich brown; nearly black. No way those were contacts, she thought. It wouldn't make any sense for someone like Inuyasha to stay in and give himself a makeover, she thought a little giddily. Of course, it didn't make sense that such a thing had happened on its own, either.

Why had he been so upset with her? She could have understood him being a little annoyed with her coming in uninvited, but he'd been... livid. She felt tears gathering in her eyes at the memory of his angry expression, and forced them away. So what if Inuyasha hated her? She didn't need him, and if he wanted to be immature, that was fine by her. She'd deal with Kouga on her own...

No problem at all.

(*)(*)(*)

Inuyasha was leaving the hall with a tray of beer glasses when he saw Kagura leaving her office. "You'll be busy tonight," she told him.

Inuyasha knew it was dollar domestic night, but he had a feeling Kagura was talking about something other than that. "Why?"

"Kagome's sick; she just called a few minutes ago."

Inuyasha felt a sudden was of guilt go over him. "Sick? What's wrong with her?"

"She didn't say. She sounded horrible, though; all stuffed up. Eric will still be here, though."

Inuyasha nodded, and Kagura walked away, heading towards the backstage door. Probably to tell Sango, he thought. Sure enough, Sango came out moments later, and went straight up the stairs.

What if Kagome wasn't really sick? He'd really blown up on her the night before. She wouldn't be that upset over it, he told himself. Would she?

(*)(*)(*)

Sango knocked on the door to Kagome's apartment, and heard footsteps approaching the door. "It's me, Kagome," she said. "Can I come in?"

The door opened, and Sango stepped in to see her friend still in her pajamas, with her hair pulled back to reveal a puffy, tear-stained face. "Kagome, what's the matter?"

Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry, Sango."

"Sorry about what?"

"About not being sick. Not really."

Sango led Kagome to the couch, sitting down with her. "What's this about, then?" she asked.

"It's stupid," Kagome mumbled.

"It's not Kouga, is it?"

She shook her head. "No... It's Inuyasha."

"What did he do?" Sango demanded, her expression darkening immediately.

"Don't be mad at him," Kagome pleaded. "I just... I went to check on him last night, and..." Sango waited. She knew last night had been the new moon. "I went in, and he... looked different. I didn't even know it was him until he woke up, and then he got so mad."

"What did he say?" Sango wondered if Inuyasha had been forced to tell his secret.

"Not much. He asked how I got in, and then he threw me out. He hates me," she said, her voice breaking a little.

"Oh, he does not," Sango replied with a wave of her hand.

"I just don't understand why he was so angry with me. Or... why he looked like that."

Sango knew it was not her place to tell Inuyasha's secrets, even if he had handled the situation horribly. "Look, I'll talk to him about it, okay?"

"No, I don't want--"

"Kagome, I'll handle it," Sango cut her off, standing up. "So, don't cry, okay?"

Kagome nodded, though the look on her face seemed uncertain. "Okay."

Sango was fuming as she went down the stairs, and could see Inuyasha knew he was in for it as she marched towards the bar. "You," she spat, "are an asshole."

"She's not sick?" he asked sheepishly.

"Of course she's not! How dare you treat her that way when it's your own stupid fault she saw you!" Sango's eyes darted towards the door as Eric entered, and she lowered her voice as he passed on his way to the break room. "She thinks you hate her now!"

"I-I don't," Inuyasha replied.

"How could you just throw her out like that?" she hissed.

"What the hell was I supposed to do?"

Sango sighed, knowing he wouldn't like what she was going to say. "You could have explained it to her."

Inuyasha's expression went stony. "No."

"Then, what are you going to do? Just pretend it never happened?"

"Seems like a good plan to me," he answered, picking up a glass and toweling it off.

"It's not," she told him. "She's going to ask. I know it scares you to think about telling someone else, but she's not Kikyou, Inuyasha."

"I know that," he said sullenly.

"Do you really think Kagome would react like that?" Sango asked him, her expression softening.

"Did someone say Kagome?" Eric asked from behind Sango, where he'd just returned from the break room.

"Yeah, she's sick," Inuyasha told him, seeing a perfect way to end the conversation with his friend.

Eric smiled slyly. "Maybe I should go make her feel better," he joked, chuckling.

Inuyasha slammed the glass he'd been cleaning down on the counter, causing Eric to jump. (Sango had seen it coming, and didn't even twitch.) "If you go anywhere near those stairs," Inuyasha warned him, "I'll make sure you don't have the equipment left to make any woman feel anything. Are we clear?"

Eric nodded, his face suddenly pale.

(*)(*)(*)

As the night progressed, Inuyasha found himself dreading the end of his shift. How was he supposed to tell Kagome what he was? Sango knew all about the last time he'd confessed his true nature to someone, because he'd ended up at her door right after. Did she really think Kagome would take it well?

Truthfully, Kagome probably would handle it better than Kikyou had, but that wasn't saying much. He was still mulling the whole thing over half an hour later when, like a bad omen, Kikyou breezed through the door, with her "friend" Naraku in tow. While he found a seat at one of the few remaining tables, Kikyou approached the bar.

"You're getting to be a regular here," Inuyasha greeted her. "Do you miss it that much?"

She smirked. "Hardly. Naraku likes it here."

"Why? There's hardly any potential clients for him."

Kikyou narrowed her dark eyes. "You always assume the worst about me, don't you, Inuyasha?"

"I ain't assuming anything. I've got a nose."

"Yes, you do, don't you?" she replied with a slight quirk of her lips. "Just like a hound."

Her insult didn't phase him. "I guess we have something in common, then," he told her. "We can both smell someone with your nose candy from a mile away." Kikyou's eyes flared at the comment, but she didn't rise to the bait, instead smiling with feigned sweetness.

"You haven't been by in awhile," she said.

He shrugged. "Been busy."

"That's too bad."

"You want something to drink, or not?"

Her smile faltered, but only slightly. "I'll let the boy get our order. That's his job, isn't it?"

"Right."

Inuyasha watched Kikyou as she returned to sit with Naraku. It was the last thing he needed tonight, seeing her. Now he knew he couldn't go through with telling Kagome he was a hanyou.

After his chat with Kikyou, however, the club hit a busy spell, which Inuyasha was grateful for. He was too busy making drinks to think about much else. All the tables on the floor were occupied, the bar had a swell of people around it, all yelling out their orders, and several people were lined up against the walls to watch the girls. He caught a glimpse of Sango's dance, as well as the girl Kagura had just hired to replace Rin. She was a tiny, blonde thing, and looked nervous as hell as she stepped out onto the stage, but Inuyasha guessed she did alright by the response she received from the crowd. He tried not to look at most of the girls, though it was impossible not to catch a glimpse once in awhile. It was weird enough that he'd seen Sango and Rin naked.

The night passed quickly, and before Inuyasha realized, it was time for last call. Eric helped him with the bar tabs, and people began to slowly file out of the club, though a few of the drunker ones had to be convinced that it was actually closing time. Inuyasha made the usual calls for taxi cabs, all the while counting the money from the register as Eric started to clean the tables off. The girls were milling around the club, some gossiping in the break room, some leaving, and some still back in the dressing room. Inuyasha waved distractedly here and there when he heard someone tell him good night.

The place was nearly empty, and Inuyasha had almost finished his part of the nightly deposit when he heard Sango's voice. Looking up, he saw her leading the new girls towards the bar, a look of indescribable anger on her face.

"Inuyasha, this is Taylor," she told him.

"Hi," he said, not really understanding Sango's intention of introducing him to the girl.

Sango reached into the pocket of her threadbare jeans, and tossed a small plastic baggie onto the counter. It was tied with a slip of paper which had a phone number scrawled on it. He knew exactly what it was, and growled angrily as he snatched it from the bar, flinging it into the trashcan. "He won't be coming back in here," he promised Sango before his penetrating gaze fell on Taylor. "Is this going to be a problem with you?" he asked her.

Taylor was trembling as she shook her head. "I didn't even know what it was," she told him.

"It's crank," he told her.

"I know; Sango told me when I showed it to her."

"Tell him how you got it," Sango instructed, putting a comforting arm around the girl's thin shoulders.

"It's a little obvious how she got it," Inuyasha said.

"Not as much as you think," Sango replied, giving him a level look.

"I... gave the guy a lap dance, earlier tonight," Taylor said. "He just sat there, and I thought I was doing horrible. But I got a few more after that, from other people. I was getting ready to go to the back, and his girlfriend stopped me. She gave it to me, and told me he liked me."

Inuyasha felt as if all the air had left the room, and it caused his head to hurt suddenly. But Sango was looking at him, obviously waiting for him to say something. "I'll... I'll take care of it," he promised her.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she replied.

"It ain't your fault, is it? Go ahead and get home."

"Alright. Come on, Taylor, we'll give you a ride."

Inuyasha stared blankly at the counter as they went out the door. Kikyou. Kikyou had done this.

And now he had to take care of it.

*******

sublimetrickster- I'm so glad i could make you squeal. Wait, that didn't sound right... Anyway, I love Kouga too, but it's so hard not to mess with him!

inuyashaloverr- I think the reason he ran off had something to do with breasts, but that's just me. O.o

White Luna- Things are looking a little better. Now if only we could wash full loads of laundry without causing a natural disaster, things would be great!

ShaylaBlade- Look, you don't have to inflict violence upon me! I updated! All quick and stuff!

badgirl093- Kouga can be quite the annoying one. I love him, though.

Melzilla- Yeah, I have a different name on DA, and I forget that sometimes. A lot of people email me from here, and are like, "You're oxrosesthornxo, too!?" Like I have anything worth looking at on DA. My account there just sort of sits and looks pitiful. But I plan on using it for my fanart at some point... But one of my fave Inu pics ever is one you drew of Inuyasha burying Kagome's textbook. Heehee. Okay, I'll stop being a fangirl now.

Nikkie23534- Thanks!

Rinlover- Here you go, sweetums. Don't cry!

The goddess Rhiannon- There, you did not have to wait long this time. I'll try to get the next one out quickly, too.