InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Fourteen ( Chapter 14 )

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

I don't own Inuyasha, but I did put the soundtrack for this story together. It's coming along nicely, and if you'd like to check out the lyrics so far, they're on my new page. the address is: http://www.geocities.com/oxrosesthornxo/index.htm. It's a little bare at the moment, but the soundtrack is under fiction, and you'll see a link in the "Savvy" section. Hope you like!

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"Breakdown" Mae

"I'm Money" Zebrahead (For Inuyasha's well-deserved 'punishment.' You wanted it, you GOT IT!)

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Thanksgiving...

"Is that frigging pie done yet?"

"Two more minutes!"

"Is the rest of the food in the car?"

"Yes. Did you get your Cheetos?"

"Wench."

"Baka."

Standing up from his couch, Inuyasha crossed the hall to see Kagome in the kitchen, holding the timer in her hand. "We're going to be late," he told her.

"All will be forgiven when we arrive with pie."

He smiled, rolling his eyes. It had been three days since the kissing incident, and things were... good. Kagome had seemed a little subdued that first evening at work, and she'd made it clear he wasn't staying in her apartment anymore by disconnecting his X-BOX from her television and returning it to his living room, but she'd been perfectly pleasant otherwise. She'd slept in her apartment that night, even though he hadn't been able to replace the window until the following morning. He hadn't asked her to stay with him; he'd known she would refuse. She now had a cold, but he didn't bring it up; it was his own fault.

Neither of them spoke about what had happened, and Inuyasha thought that was probably best. Talking about it would make him think about it, and thinking about it... Well, that kept him from sleeping enough already.

A small chime rang and Kagome smiled, turning the oven off to remove her pumpkin pie. She covered the top with aluminum foil before placing it in a woven basket. "All ready to go!"

"About time." He grabbed her coat from the back of a chair, handing it to her as he took the pie from her hands.

Inuyasha had already started his car to give it a chance to warm up, and Kagome crawled in, taking the pie back from Inuyasha as he slipped behind the steering wheel. "No crazy, stunt driver stuff today, okay?" she asked. "My casserole will dump over."

"Can't have that; it would ruin my interior." She shot him a dark look, and he smiled charmingly in return.

Leaving the side alley, Inuyasha managed to squeeze into the holiday traffic, which was barely crawling. "This is going to take hours!" Kagome moaned.

"It's not that far. I'd just run over if I could, but the food probably wouldn't make it there in one place."

"What about me?"

He gave her a dour look. "I'd carry you, stupid."

"Oh." She sat silently for several minutes, and as she stared out the window, she wondered if they were actually moving backwards. "Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

She gave him a sidelong glance. "I have duct tape."

(*)(*)(*)

Twenty minutes later, Inuyasha and Kagome exited her apartment again, this time with a large shopping back. Inside it were the Cheetos, the pie, and two casserole dishes with their lids firmly taped shut.

"We're going to the roof," he told her, leading the way up the stairs, and past Kagura's floor before coming out on the flat roof.

"Oh, it's cold out here!" Kagome cried, clutching the bag closer.

"Hold on to that," Inuyasha cautioned, and Kagome yelped as he picked her up effortlessly, holding her against his chest as he bounded from the roof.

Oh, this was a BAD IDEA! Kagome thought as she squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her face against Inuyasha's shoulder. She let out a little scream as she sensed them falling through the air, but she barely felt the landing before Inuyasha was running again. Well, I guess he would be pretty good at this, she told herself, recalling the stories Inuyasha had shared with her from his childhood. The idea of racing through the treetops had sounded fantastic to her, but experiencing it firsthand was a little overwhelming, especially since she knew there was concrete below them instead of dirt.

Daring to open her eyes for a peek, Kagome gasped, stunned by the view laid out before her. "Wow," she whispered. "Inuyasha, how high up are we?"

"Only about twenty stories. Why?"

"Oh, kami," she sighed shakily, but couldn't take her eyes from the quickly passing scenery. "I bet this would be beautiful at night."

"It's alright. Hold on, we're going down."

Kagome felt Inuyasha's arms tighten around her slightly as he jumped, and Kagome watched with wide eyes as rows upon rows of windows passed before her eyes before they landed in a parking lot. Inuyasha sat Kagome on her feet, and she steadied herself against his arm while she tried to get her bearings. "We're here?" she asked.

He pointed to Miroku's Civic, parked only yards from them. "Yup."

"Wow, that was fast."

Inuyasha let Kagome lead the way to the rear entrance of the apartment complex, trying not to smile, though it was difficult. Kagome had actually seemed to enjoy the trip, not mentioning at all that his abilities were "unnatural" or "inhuman." Also, it had been the first time he'd allowed himself within three feet of her in three days.

Using the elevator, they arrived on the third floor, knocking on the door labeled '3C.' "Come in!" Sango called.

Entering the small apartment, Kagome saw it was packed with people. Kagura was there, as well as Emily, Shiori, and Amber, as well as two other girls from work, though she couldn't recall their names.

"Here, give me that," Sango told Kagome, taking the bag from her and placing it on the counter, where she opened it. "No Swiss Cake Rolls this year, Inuyasha?"

"Keh. You ate 'em, didn't you?"

"Well, I enjoyed them," Miroku commented.

"The turkey should be done in a few minutes," Sango told them. "Then, we eat!"

Kagome found a seat in the living room chair, chatting with Kagura while Sango was busy keeping the boys out of the food.

Kagome barely heard her cell phone ringing over all the noise, and snatching it from her purse, she let herself out the door and into the hall. "Hi, Mama," she answered, smiling. She hadn't spoken to her mother in over a week.

"Kagome, how are you?"

"Good. We're getting ready to have Thanksgiving dinner." Kagome heard the door to the apartment open, and she turned to see Inuyasha in the doorway. "It's okay," she told him. "It's my mom." He nodded, leaving her alone again.

"Who are you talking to, dear?"

"Inuyasha."

"Oh, your neighbor?"

"yeah, we came to our friends' place for dinner."

"Honey... Are you dating him?"

Kagome felt her heart sink, but managed a weak laugh, fearing her mother would see right through it, even over the phone. "No, Mama. Inuyasha and I are just friends! I have to go, though; we're getting ready to eat."

"Alright, dear. Be careful."

"I will. Love you."

"I love you, too, Kagome."

Flipping her phone shut, Kagome returned to the noisy apartment, only to find Inuyasha in the chair she'd vacated. "Hey, you took me seat!"

He sat back against the cushion, crossing his arms. "You didn't call seat back," he replied.

"I didn't know we were in third grade," she shot back, taking a seat on the armrest instead, and giving him a look that clearly told him that she thought he was childish. He only smiled, looking proud of himself.

Soon after that, dinner was ready, and Sango made everyone form a line to avoid a food frenzy. Sango and Miroku shared their small table with Kagura and Shiori, while everyone else found seats where they could, mostly around the coffee table. When Kagome returned to the living room with her plate, Inuyasha had taken the chair again, but when she approached, he stood, offering it to her. "Thank you," she laughed, taking a seat. "You're a prince."

"I know, wench. Shut up and eat." He put his own plate on the coffee table, leaning back against her legs as he ate, and she rolled her eyes as she started on her own dinner.

For several minutes, the only talk was focused around the food; how great the turkey was, who had made the potato casserole ("That was me!" Kagome piped up.), and so on. Eventually conversation turned to work, the band, and then, if the band should play at Savvy, which Kagura said she'd think about.

"So, Kagome, I heard you had an intruder the other day," Miroku said, causing Inuyasha to send him a dark look.

"How the hell did you hear about that?" he demanded.

"Simple. I was pawning my old effects pedal down the street on... Tuesday, I believe it was. I stopped to get a bottled water from the newsstand, and the vendor told me about 'some guy' being thrown out a window. He said the guy landed on a car and ran off."

"Oh, my God, did that really happen?" Emily asked, her green eyes wide.

"Yes," Kagura replied, "and I don't want to hear it going around work."

"The guy just walked away?" Amber asked, obviously knowing nothing about youkai. "Man, that's weird."

Sango noticed the uncomfortable look on Kagome's face, and stood up. "Alright, who wants seconds?"

Not long after dessert, Kagura, Amber and two girls Kagome wasn't familiar with left to get ready for work. Emily and Shiori said their good-byes soon after, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha as the only guests. "We better head out, too," he told her.

"Just a second," Sango interrupted. "I want to show Kagome the dress I'm wearing to the wedding." Taking the girl by the arm, she led her into the bedroom, closing the door.

"You got a new dress?" Kagome asked.

"Please, that doesn't matter," Sango replied with a wave of her hand. "I just wanted to apologize for Miroku bringing Kouga up earlier."

"Oh, no, Miroku didn't upset me," Kagome assured her. "People were bound to find out, sooner or later."

"But you looked upset."

"A little," she admitted. "It's not Miroku's fault, though."

"Then, who's fault is it?" Sango inquired, the tone of her voice implying that whoever was responsible would soon be in serious pain.

"It's nothing. Really."

"And you're really lying," her friend insisted.

Kagome sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Something... else happened that morning."

"What was it?"

Kagome looked her friend in the eye. "Inuyasha kissed me."

Sango blinked in surprise. "Well... Okay. So, were you on your way to a funeral when it happened? Because I wouldn't have expected you to look so down about it."

"It's just... After it happened, he apologized, and said he just wanted to be friends."

"That little bastard," Sango growled, heading for the door.

Kagome caught her before she could open it. "Sango, no! Please don't say anything! He seemed upset enough about it."

"Well, he should learn to keep his lips to himself if he's not over Kikyou."

"But he told me he was over her."

Sango let out a mirthless laugh, leaning against the door. "Kagome, he might very well be over Kikyou, but it's going to be a long time before he's over what she did to him."

"...I don't understand. Do you mean the drugs?"

Sango shook her head. "Kikyou was clean for most of the time she was with Inuyasha." She looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "He told you about Kikyou's reaction when she found out he was hanyou, right?

Kagome nodded. "He said it scared her."

"It did; for awhile. Then, she started using it to her advantage."

"But... how?"

She made Inuyasha feel worthless, that's how. She found ways to ridicule and demean him every chance she got, until he was trapped under her thumb. All because she didn't like that he wasn't purely human. The worst part of it is, Inuyasha still sees it as something he should be ashamed of."

"But that's ridiculous!" Kagome exclaimed.

"You don't have to tell me that," she replied bitterly before her expression softened. "Look Kagome, it's obvious Inuyasha care for you, but he's not going to trust anyone easily. Not until he can see past the things Kikyou made him believe."

Kagome looked sadly down at her hands. "I wish there was something I could do, something I could tell him."

"Words aren't going to get you anywhere, not with this. I was surprised he even told you about being hanyou. I think it's a good sign."

"Right." Kagome sighed, feeling suddenly tired. "Well, I guess I should go."

"Yeah, I should get ready for work. See you there?"

"Mm-hm. And you promise you won't say anything to Inuyasha about the kiss?"

Sango gave a quick nod. "Promise."

"Okay. See you later." Kagome tried shaking the sadness she felt from her thoughts as she left the room to face Inuyasha, and Sango watched her leave with a grim look on her face.

Well, I promised I wouldn't say anything, she thought as she grabbed her duffel bag for work, but that doesn't mean Inuyasha won't get my point loud and clear.

(*)(*)(*)

Savvy was packed.

Inuyasha knew from experience that things would get busy; a lot of people didn't have anything better to do during the holidays. Kagome didn't seem to be taking the rush so well, though. She kept walking around as if she were in some sort of daze, and people had to shout most of the time to get her attention.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she brought her guest checks to the bar, handing him an order.

"What? Oh... Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're not acting fine," he replied as he broke the cap from a bottle, placing it on her tray before grabbing the next.

"It's probably just my cold medicine," she replied.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling suspicious suddenly; he smelled a lie. "I thought you got that non-drowsy stuff."

"I did. You were with me at the check out, remember?"

Inuyasha sat the other two bottles on the tray, pinning Kagome with a knowing look. She refused to acknowledge it, however, taking her tray with her as she disappeared back into the crowd. What's with her? he wondered.

"Hey, Inuyasha, can you get me a soda?" He looked over to see Sango leaning over the bar.

"You on break already?" he asked as he cracked a can open, pouring it over ice for her.

"Yeah, I'm dying for a cigarette." Taking the drink from him, she smiled. "Thanks."

She then commenced to pour the entire glass down the front of his shirt.

Shocked, Inuyasha looked down at his dripping front before gaping at her, his mouth hanging open. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

Sango sat the empty glass on the bar, shrugging. "Just clumsy, I guess," she replied before sauntering away.

What the hell is wrong with these women?

That was unfortunately only the beginning of Inuyasha's night.

Minutes later, on his way to get a tray of clean martini glasses from the back, he passed Taylor in the hall, and tripped over her stiletto-clad foot, which sent him sprawling face-first to the floor.

An hour after that, he sent Kagome on break, which left him to make the drinks, as well as take them to the tables. Holding a tray full of whiskey shots and two rattlesnakes, he was forcefully pushed from behind. Not only did he lose the tray, but it also managed to spill all over a table full of bikes, who immediately stood up, pushing their chairs aside as they threatened to kick his ass. After much blustering and shouting, Inuyasha threw them out.

He noticed Shiori finishing a lap dance at a nearby table, and stopped her before she could find another customer. "Hey, did you see who pushed me?" he asked.

She frowned, shaking her head. "I didn't see anyone," she told him. "Sorry."

He was incredibly relieved when Kagura slipped behind the bar, telling him to take a break. He pushed through the door leading to the back, and nearly ran to the break room, but stopped in the doorway, his brow furrowing. Someone had stacked all but one of the chairs in the corner.

Deciding it wasn't a big deal, he shrugged, making his way to the one chair that remained at the table. He figured Kagome had found a moment to mop the floor early, and planted himself in the plastic chair, swinging his legs onto the table.

He was just beginning to relax when he heard a pronounced creaking noise, and before he could determine what was causing it, the metal legs of the chair gave way, spilling him backwards onto the floor.

"Okay, that is IT!" he growled, jumping up from the floor.

He heard a faint giggle from the hallway, and the scampering of high-heeled shoes.

Alright, he thought as he took deep breaths. This isn't funny.

Worst of all, he was now realizing that his string of bad luck had all been deliberate. What had he done to piss these girls off?

It hit him like a hammer, and Inuyasha's lips slowly formed a thin line. Kagome had told someone about their kiss. Someone... evil. Someone that was probably parading around backstage in her red fishnets, cackling merrily at his misfortune.

With determination in his step, Inuyasha left the break room for the bar, quickly making his way through the crowd on his way to the backstage door. Opening it, he paused only to shout out a warning that he was coming in before striding past several girls in various stages of undress, and finally coming to a stop before Sango. "Truce?"

She looked up at him from the bench she sat on. "Truce for what?" she asked innocently.

He sighed, crossing his arms and cocking his head back slightly, praying for patience. "For being a bad, bad dog. There, are you happy now?"

She grinned. "For now."

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Thanks for all the compliments on the last chapter, guys! I was writing back to everyone like I always do, and realized I just kept putting "thanks." I'm running out of creative things to say, so unless someone asks a question I can answer, I'll just leave a note for everyone. I'm really glad you guys got so pissed at Inu. Made my day, because I was pissed at him, too! Don't worry, though, things will get better... eventually...