InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

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

A/N: Inuyasha's not mine! Oh, and I drew my very own Savvy pic: http://www.yahoo.com/oxrosesthornxo/images/kikyou.jpg (Don't expect greatness.)

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"The Other Way" Weezer

"Sugar Wolf" From Autumn To Ashes

"Behind Those Eyes" 3 Doors Down

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After dropping Kagome off at the apartment and making sure Kagura was awake to keep an eye on things, Inuyasha left on foot, knowing it would be faster, especially if Kikyou wasn't at her apartment. Naraku hadn't seen or spoken to her in over two weeks, deciding it was best to end their relationship. Inuyasha was still seething over their earlier conversation.

"So, you stopped selling to her?" Inuyasha asked, keeping his arms firmly crossed to fight the overwhelming urge to hit Naraku.

"I never sold anything to her," Naraku responded, sipping his martini. "I told her if she found me more clients, she could have her fair share. She failed to produce results."

If Kikyou was alone, he knew anything could have happened to her. Having no job, she could have already lost her apartment, could be roaming the streets, or even worse, looking for another supplier that could prove to be more dangerous to her than Naraku.

Inuyasha found himself wishing that he didn't feel such an obligation to watch out for Kikyou, especially considering she didn't seem to give a damn what happened to her. He'd seen the look of disappointment on Kagome's face when he'd walked with her to the car, and she'd barely spoken a word on the way home, only telling him to be careful before she'd disappeared through the back entrance of the bar.

Maybe it's better this way, he told himself as he jumped from one building to the next. He wasn't oblivious to what was happening. After spending so much time with Kagome, he knew his feelings for her had grown, but they were feelings he didn't want to be experiencing. As much as his inner voice told him it would be safe to be with Kagome, he didn't trust it. Kagome was beautiful, and caring, and funny; she was someone he could spend hours with and not tire of her company. She trusted him to protect her, and made him laugh. He often felt his guard come down around her, and that frightened him. He couldn't afford to be doing that. There were too many things that could change, but as long as they remained friends, those changes wouldn't matter so much.

Inuyasha came to a stop on the roof of Kikyou's building, finding the entrance to the roof unlocked. He was relieved that Kikyou was inside, but began to worry when he also caught the scent of Kikyou's younger sister, Kaede. The sisters had never been close for as long as he'd known them; if she had come, it could mean bad news.

Going down the stairs, he knocked on Kikyou's door once he reached the tenth floor.

"Inuyasha," Kaede greeted him somberly when she opened the door, letting him inside. She'd obviously come from work, still wearing the scrubs that her job as a nurse's assistant at the hospital required.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

Kaede's expression was grim as she replied. "She needs to go to the hospital. I've been here since this morning, and I went through and flushed everything I could find. She had a pharmacy in here, not to mention what meth she had left over."

"She won't go?"

Kaede shook her head. "When I even brought it up, she started screaming. She won't eat, and she's not sleeping for more than half an hour at a time. I don't want to leave her alone, but I have my shift in an hour."

Inuyasha looked towards the door of Kikyou's bedroom, trying to make a decision. "Well, if she needs to go to the hospital, I'll get her there."

"She's going to fight you."

He sighed. "I know. Can you give us a ride?"

"Well, I guess you could say it's on my way."

"Alright. Let me get her, and we'll go."

Opening the door to Kikyou's room, he watched as she sat up in her bed, her glassy eyes fixing him with a cold stare. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd stop by, since I haven't heard from you."

"Oh, I guess you were worried," she said quietly, lacking the sarcasm she'd probably been trying for.

"Yeah, I was. Kikyou, we need to get you out of here, alright?"

She glared at him, the large circles under her eyes making her look more sick than angry. "I don't want to go anywhere. I told Kaede already."

"Well, that's too bad, 'cause neither one of us are going to have you dying on our conscience. You can get some stuff to take with you, if you want." She remained motionless. "Fine. We can do it the hard way, too." Approaching the bed, Inuyasha reached for Kikyou, and she kicked out her leg, striking him in the hip. Here we go, he thought, pushing Kikyou's foot out of his way and pulling her up by the shoulders. She wrenched out of his grip, thrashing as she kicked away from him. He couldn't help but feel as if he was being cruel to her as he grabbed her knees, pulling her off the bed and catching her under the arms before she could fall to the floor.

"Let me go!" she screamed, fighting against his grip around her. He turned her around within his arms so she couldn't aim for anything essential, and walked through the doorway with her kicking all the way, and screaming like a banshee.

Kaede's eyes were wide as Inuyasha entered the living room. Kikyou looked like a madwoman, her face viciously red as she tried to free herself from Inuyasha's hold, and Inuyasha looked none too happy to be the cause of her sister's fit. "Let's get her downstairs!" Kaede called over her Kikyou's howls, quickly going to the door.

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome couldn't sleep.

Inuyasha had left around midnight, and it was already five in the morning. Had he been able to find Kikyou, or was he still looking? If he'd found her, had something really been wrong? If not, what was taking so long?

Kagome jumped up from her couch when she finally heard footsteps in the corridor. She ran to the door and flung it open to see a very worn looking Inuyasha coming towards her. "Inuyasha?" He looked up from the floor, his tired eyes meeting hers. "Are you... are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I just need to get some sleep, alright? Go on to bed."

Before Kagome could think get past the fact that he was obviously trying to blow her off, Inuyasha was inside his apartment, the door separating them. She stared at it, stunned. He wasn't staying in her apartment? He wasn't going to tell her what had happened with Kikyou?

Maybe you really don't want to know what happened between him and Kikyou, her mind whispered, and Kagome shook her head angrily. She wouldn't let her thoughts travel in that direction; she was upset enough.

Slowly, Kagome turned and returned to her living room, closing her door. She thought about leaving it unlocked, just in case Inuyasha changed his mind, but she knew if he found she'd done that, he'd gripe about it. She felt numb as she walked to her bedroom, pulling back the covers of her bed to crawl in. She realized then that she'd left the light on, but didn't bother to get up and turn it off. She knew she wouldn't be sleeping.

Inuyasha sat on his couch, blankly staring at the television, which was muted. He hated to be staying in his own apartment instead of Kagome's, but she wanted to know what had happened, and he didn't feel up to talking about it. They'd been forced to restrain Kikyou at the hospital, and after that, things had steadily gone downhill. She'd shrieked hateful things at him the entire time she was being admitted, and had tried to maul one of the emergency room technicians. He'd remained with her, not wanting her to be alone, but after so many hours he hadn't been able to withstand Kikyou's venom, or the way she'd whimpered when they had pushed the needle for her saline drip into her arm. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha tried to will his thoughts away. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping; he had to keep alert in case Kouga showed his mangy face, but he wished he could at least turn his thoughts off for a few hours.

He stared at the silent television as one show gave way to the next, and then the morning news came on, full of smiling newsmen and women, and Inuyasha vaguely wondered why the people that did the news always wore such weird colors. Why couldn't they just wear black? Weren't suits supposed to be black? Or brown even?

Before Inuyasha could realize what a random course his thoughts were taking, he was asleep.

(*)(*)(*)

I'm sick of this, he thought with a growl as he walked the early morning streets, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He was only blocks away from his destination, and he would make sure things went his way this time, and Kagome's lapdog wouldn't get in his way. Why had convinced her to hang out with such filth, anyway?

Because living in a place like this, she probably doesn't feel like she has a choice, he told himself. That would all end, though. Once he talked to Kagome, he knew she would see reason, and probably thank him for rescuing her from such a disgusting place.

When Kouga reached Savvy, however, he walked right past it and several other buildings, turning right at the end of the block, where he passed a dilapidated consignment shop. Between the shop and an old tenant building was an alley, and this was Kouga's destination.

Looking around to make sure he wouldn't be seen, Kouga jumped up to the fire escaped of the building, quickly making his way to the roof. From there, he could see Kagome's building, and in a few quick jumps, he was there.

The hard part was next. It was dark, but he would chance someone seeing him by climbing down to Kagome's window. There was a ledge, however, and once he reached it, there wasn't much of a chance anyone would notice him.

Carefully crawling down the face of the building, Kouga reached the landing. Kagome's shades were down, but her scent was strong. So was the half breed's. He'd have to be very careful, or he could lose any chance of seeing Kagome.

(*)(*)(*)

Inuyasha woke up with Kouga's scent in his nose, and it was a lot stronger that it had been in recent weeks. He left his apartment in a rush, almost colliding with Kagura in the hall. "I've got it," he told her, twisting the doorknob to Kagome's apartment.

It was locked.

Good girl, Kagome, he thought, but shitty timing.

Hear a jangle of metal from behind him, Inuyasha turned to see Kagura with a large ring of keys in her hand. Taking hold of the one that belonged to Kagome's door, he unlocked it. "Just out of curiosity, do you mind if I break a window?" he asked her.

Kagura arched an eyebrow. "What's freezing the girl to death going to accomplish?"

"I've got something else in mind."

Kagura shrugged, taking her keyring back from him. "I don't care what you do, as long as you go to pick the new window up. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"I won't, but thanks."

Silently entering Kagome's apartment, Inuyasha heard the telltale shifting of wood against wood. Kouga was trying to get in the window, but the locks weren't as old as he might have thought at first. He'd soon get impatient with trying to sneak in, and either break the window or the lock on it. Inuyasha was sure he had time enough to get Kagome out first, though.

Going into her bedroom, he found Kagome sleeping, but she didn't look restful at all. Her forehead was creased, and her breathing was quick and shallow, as if she were having a nightmare. She'd kicked the blankets off of her, leaving them in a heap on the floor.

Reluctantly, Inuyasha shook her shoulder. "Kagome. Kagome, wake up."

Kagome flinched, gasping as she opened her eyes just slightly. "Inu... yasha?"

"Come on, okay? I want you to come over to my place for a little while."

Kagome's eyelids slipped shut again, and she shook her head. "Nuh-uh... baka."

"I know I'm a baka, but it's only for a little while."

"Don't... wanna," she sighed.

"Dammit," Inuyasha whispered. Hoping he wouldn't have another fight on his hands in less than eight hours, he slid his left arm behind Kagome's neck, and his right one under his knees, lifting her from the mattress. She didn't protest, and as he left the bedroom, he felt her nuzzle his shoulder in her sleep.

Crossing the hall, Inuyasha headed straight for his bedroom, where he carefully laid Kagome down. Her eyes opened again, but only for a moment. Covering her with his quilt, he went to grab his microphone stand from the living room, holding it by the shaft as he walked towards the row of windows lining Kagome's living room wall. I'll need a running start, he thought, backing up a bit. He might hear me coming, but the bastard won't have time to run.

Holding the round base of the mic stand out before him, Inuyasha took off at a sprint across the hardwood floor. The glass of the window gave little resistance as it shattered, taking the window shade down with it, but Inuyasha had plenty of momentum, and he only saw a brief glimpse of Kouga's wide-eyed expression as he was thrown from the ledge. Inuyasha heard a crunch of metal, and seconds later, a car alarm sounding in the early morning quiet. "Have fun explaining that one to the cops, asshole," Inuyasha muttered, placing his warped microphone stand on the floor. He knew he probably hadn't injured Kouga at all, but he'd shown him it wasn't wise to keep returning to Kagome's apartment.

After "repairing" Kagome's window with many strips of duct tape, Inuyasha fixed the shade and returned to his own apartment, surprised to see Kagome awake and on his couch, wrapped up in his quilt. "What's going on?" she asked him, still looking quite sleepy.

"Kouga. He's gone now."

"Oh... He wasn't... Did he get in?"

"No, but he could have." Kagome shivered visibly beneath his blanket. "Oh, and I sort of broke one of your window. I sealed it up alright, but it's probably going to be pretty cold over there before it gets replaced."

"It's alright. I have plenty of blankets." She didn't look at him as she spoke, and he wondered if it was because of the fear she felt that Kouga had gotten so close, or because he'd been a baka, as she'd told him. Probably both, he decided.

"Well, I'll go get them," he told her, but paused when she turned her eyes up to face him.

"Get them? Why?"

"Keh! You think I'm going to let you freeze your ass off over there, wench? Go get in bed."

He didn't know how, but his gruffness seemed to break the tension between them. Kagome smiled, rolling her eyes as she stood up, the quilt wrapped around her like a ridiculous cape as she vanished into his bedroom.

Great idea, moron, he berated himself as he went to retrieve Kagome's blankets from her bedroom floor. Like you're not suffering enough; now her scent's going to be all over your bed.

Shut up.

She did look awfully cute in that blanket, though.

Growling in frustration at himself, Inuyasha returned to his bedroom to find Kagome cuddled up comfortably in his bed, but her eyes were open, focused on him. "You didn't have to bring all of them," she said as he dumped all but one of them on the floor.

"Go to sleep," he told her, spreading the cover he held out over her.

"I sleep with three," she said, smiling mischievously.

"Do I look like your maid?"

"No. You look like you're being very sweet, and tucking me in. Don't spoil the illusion."

"You're nothing but trouble sometimes," he grunted, but added another blanket to the bed. "There, you happy now?"

"Almost."

"What now? Do you want cocoa?"

"No," she responded. "But I'd like you to tell me why you were such a jerk earlier."

I really should have seen that coming, he thought. "I just had a shitty night, that's all."

"What happened?"

He sighed. "I had to take Kikyou to the hospital."

"What?" Kagome sat up. "Is she okay?"

"I guess she'll be alright. Until they let her out, anyway." He sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," she told him softly.

"It ain't your fault."

"Yeah, but you had to go through that, and then deal with Kouga, too."

"That ain't your fault, either."

"It feels like it sometimes," she admitted, shuddering under her blankets. "I can't believe he nearly got in."

"That's my fault," he said. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It is not your fault. You were just tired. I'm sure anyone would be after..." She trailed off, a perplexed expression crossing her features. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Kikyou... You said she'd be alright until she got out. What's wrong with her?"

Inuyasha swung his legs onto the bed, reclining against the headboard. "She ran out of things to snort up her nose. She's sick."

"Oh, that's awful. So, I guess she's in detox?"

He nodded. "Her sister, Kaede, admitted her."

"How sad..."

"Yeah..."

Kagome yawned. "Well, maybe if she can stay clean for a little while, she'll be better."

"...Maybe..."

"...I'm sorry I called you a jerk."

"S'okay," Inuyasha slurred, his eyes closed.

There was nothing but silence after that, as both of them fell asleep.

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome drifted up from sleep the next after, her brow furrowing. Something was... different. She was still sleepy, though, and perfectly comfortable, so she decided it was best not to worry about it.

Then, something moved against her side, and she opened her eyes wide, startled. Blinking to rid the sleep from her eyes, she realized she was staring at Inuyasha.

He's asleep? When did... The events of the morning slowly came back to her, and she felt her skin flushing. We fell asleep together? Oh, kami, how embarrassing!

She was almost sure Inuyasha had been sitting up when she'd fallen asleep, though, and that didn't explain how his arm was slung over her waist, or how her right leg was trapped between both of his. She also seemed to be resting her head on his other arm. Well, at least we're dressed, she thought in an attempt to look on the bright side. The situation would have been fine, wonderful even, if Inuyasha had any interest in her, like Sango and Rin kept insisting. She knew, though, that Inuyasha would soon wake up, and things would become awkward.

He's cute when he's sleeping, she mused, watching his seemingly innocent face. A motion from the corner of her eye caught her attention, however, and she looked toward the headboard, smiling. Inuyasha's bandana had slipped off at some point, and his ears were twitching. Oh, I can't help myself, she thought, reaching her hand over to gently rub one of them. He mumbled incoherently, his arm tightening around her waist, bringing her flush against him.

He opened his eyes then, his fiery irises burning into her with an intensity that drew all the air from her lungs. Was he angry? It didn't seem like it; after a long moment, he only continued to stare, making Kagome wonder if he was actually awake at all. Should I say something?

She felt the arm beneath her head moving, and Inuyasha's fingers began to slide through her hair, sending shockwaves down her spine. His hypnotizing eyes slowly closed, and--

He kissed her.

Kagome's entire body stiffened with shock, and Inuyasha growled softly, the vibration of it ringing through her as his free hand began massaging the flesh of her back. His tongue traced her lip, and Kagome melted against him, moaning quietly against his lips.

It was hearing her voice in such a way that brought reality crashing down upon the hanyou. What the hell was he doing? This was exactly what was not supposed to happen!

But kami, she smells so good...

Breaking out his mental crowbar, Inuyasha pried himself from Kagome, and also forced himself to leave the bed completely. If he didn't, he knew he'd definitely end up kissing her again.

"Inuyasha?..." Kagome sat up, looking almost as confused as he felt.

"I'm sorry," he panted.

He watched as her expression went from perplexed to crestfallen in a matter of seconds. "...Oh."

"Kagome..."

"No, it's okay, Inuyasha. I understand."

"But you don't!" he cried, his arms flailing a bit at his sides. "You can't understand if I don't, and don't think for a second that it's because of Kikyou. I know Sango's opinion on that, and it's a damned lie."

"Then, what is it?" she asked.

"I just... I just can't, Kagome," he replied, sounding helpless as he started to pace the small space.

She frowned. "I think I liked my explanation more. At least there was a reason to it."

"It'd be easier that way, I guess. But it's not easy."

"Why don't you sit down?"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because... I'll do it again."

"You're not making any sense. If you don't want me, you shouldn't really want to kiss me, should you?"

He almost smiled at how innocent she could be, even if she did have a point, but there was no way he could confess how he felt to her. It would only confuse her more, and make him feel like a bigger idiot.

He stopped pacing. "Kagome, we're friends, right?"

She nodded. "Of course we are."

"We work that way; it's great. So... let's keep it that way, alright?"

Inuyasha watched as a myriad of emotions passed through Kagome's eyes, too swift for him to catch, but she finally smiled. It looked a little forced, but he figured it was better than nothing. "Alright, then," she agreed. "Friends." She crawled out of bed, gathering her blankets into a large ball. "I'm going to go get a shower now."

"Okay. I'll see you downstairs."

"You bet."

Kagome was calm as she left Inuyasha's apartment for her own, which was uncomfortably cool. She kept a straight face as she made her bed, chose her clothes for work, and went to start the shower.

Once steam was rising from the porcelain tub, Kagome slowly undressed, stepping under the spray and drawing the curtain around her.

There, she began to cry quietly, hoping the hot water would mask the scent of her tears.

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savii- Your enthusiasm is appreciated. And thanks for the well wishes. I could use a lot right now!

xXDarkLadyXx- No, I did not write the lyrics. I do write my own songs, but I felt lazy myself when it came to doing that for this story. They're by a band called October Fall, who rock.

serendith- Thanks!

U.C.- Yeah, I realized the plot was unoriginal, and that was one of the reasons I did it. So many people write AUs that are completely O.C. I wanted to see if it could be done while keeping everyone in character. To me, the point of writing fanfic is to be able to make your own world while keeping the characters you love in it, and not changing them to suit you. Thanks for the review!

badgirl093- Mmmm, ice cream. That's funny, though, my dad's getting pizza tonight. I'm very excited because it's from this awesome local place that's a little pricey. Yeah, I figured the song was "One Dead Bitch." It was the first one I found the lyrics to, and I laughed quite a bit. If I can ever find it to download, it's definitely going on the soundtrack!

loulou4729- Thank you!

haleos18- Thanks! I need all the hugs I can get. But not real ones, I don't want to infect anyone. =(

Nikkie23534- Yeah, they should get together. But then they might be happy, and we can't have that, because I'm evil. Mwahaha.

Rinlover- I'm loving the bra on the head! Can I post it on my website? And cliffies are good! I swear! (Heh heh.)

HollisterGirl29- Thanks!

Inugirl27k- Thank you!

vegetasgirl06- Thanks. And my cliffies don't seem to be catching on. I wonder if that will make me stop writing them???

Inu4me- Heeheehee. You guys are only going to make me worse about doing cliffhangers, I swear.