InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha ❯ Hot and Cold ( Chapter 13 )

Shi-Bun-No-Ichi Yasha

part 13

All that was left of Kagome's shirt were a few clingy shreds, with her bra the only thing keeping her top half covered. She struggled to pull herself free of his grasp, but Inu Yasha's grip was relentless. His claws trailed gently over her cheeks and down her neck. Kagome knew that if she didn't get free soon, she'd be wearing less than the shreds she had now.

"Inu Yasha!" she glared at him angrily, determined to make him listen. "If you don't stop this, I'm going to say the 'O' word!"

Inu Yasha only continued his advances, trailing his claws lower than Kagome would tolerate.

"Inu Yasha! I mean it!" she struggled again. His ignorance of her words was the final straw. Kagome jerked violently in his arms until he nearly fell forward and had to catch his balance. She would have said 'Osuwari' if he hadn't put his hand over her mouth to block the restraining word.

"That's it…" Kagome thought as more tears streamed down her face. "I'm completely at his mercy… there's nothing else I can do…"

*************************************************************

"Hurry, Shippo! Please!" cried Chikara as they leapt from roof to roof. They were hot on Inu Yasha's bloody trail, but time was still running out. The youkai girl kept looking at her hands from time to time nervously, which did not go unnoticed by the others.

"What's the matter, Chikara?" Miroku inquired. "Are you hurt?"

"No." she replied. "I'm checking to see if I'm suddenly aging quicker."

"Aging?" Sango asked.

"Yes," Chikara nodded. "As long as I stay the same, we're still in time to stop them! If I suddenly get older, it's too late!"

"I smell them! Up ahead!" cried Shippo. He landed on the rooftop and popped back into shape. "Let's hurry!" said Sango.

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W hat had begun as gentle nuzzling had turned into something much more feral. Inu Yasha had Kagome pinned against the floor with his body and had one hand over her mouth. Kagome could feel his fangs just brushing up against her throat. She prayed silently that Inu Yasha wouldn't use them.

Suddenly, there was a loud slamming on the door. Inu Yasha snarled, realizing he'd have to hurry. When he had brought Kagome here, he had shut the door so violently that he had jammed it tight. However, this wasn't to say that it couldn't be opened at all. A good hard shove might've been able to dislodge it.

Inu Yasha lifted himself up a bit and grabbed a handful of Kagome's clothes, mostly her jeans. Kagome tried to scream as the fabric was torn off her, but the hand on her mouth kept her silent. The banging on the door infuriated him so much he pulled Kagome against him tightly, failing only because of their remaining garments. His fangs pricked her neck; Kagome could only sob helplessly.

"Kitsune-bi!" was heard behind the door before an explosion of blue flame brought it down. Miroku and the others raced in, but before Chikara and Shippo could catch glimpse, Sango promptly threw them back out.

Needless to say, youkai Inu Yasha was beyond furious. Forgetting the consequences, he leapt to his feet and cracked his knuckles, completely oblivious to the fact that he was almost naked. Miroku gripped his staff defensively. Kagome immediately reached for something to try covering up. Inu Yasha lunged at the monk and the taijiya, his claws thirsting for blood.

"OSUWARI!!!!" Kagome yelled.

*WHAM!!!*

Inu Yasha hit the floor and fell silent. Cautiously, Sango moved to Kagome's side, giving her one of her shirts. A faint, canine whimper indicated that Inu Yasha was regaining consciousness.

"Chikara!" called Miroku. "Toss me the Tetsusaiga!"

The youkai girl obeyed and the houshi rushed to slip the weapon into Inu Yasha's hand. Clawed hands gripped the hilt tightly as Inu Yasha struggled to peel himself off the floor. It wasn't until he had gotten to his feet that the hanyou opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

Everywhere Inu Yasha looked, there were bits and pieces of cloth and debris. Gone was the blood-red shade in his eyes that blinded him from reason. His heart began to pound wildly as he felt the incoming air on his bare skin. Miroku's eyes were on him, he knew it. Inu Yasha was almost afraid to look behind him. Kagome's scent stung his nose, and he forced himself to turn around. One glance was all it took for him to realize what had happened.

"Inu…Yasha?" Kagome breathed. She pulled Sango's shirt around her more tightly, but never broke eye contact.

Inu Yasha stared down his claws, tinted red from his earlier killing spree. Fear, horror, disgust and worry flooded his face and mind. He could taste blood in his mouth, and without looking, knew where it had come from.

"Are you ok now, Inu Yasha?" asked Miroku softly.

The dog demon's mind raced, the emotions overloading it were too much to bear. He screamed and leapt through the roof, sending sunlight and more debris into the room. Once outside, he leapt away wildly.

"Inu Yasha!!" Kagome called after him, but he was already gone.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Sango rested her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Kagome shivered. This part of the world was a lot colder at this time of the year than back in Japan, but she worried more for Inu Yasha than for herself. Not only was he wearing just a pair of boxers, but also tonight would be the new moon. His human body would not be able to handle this kind of cold when that happened.

"We have to go find him!" she shivered again.

"How?" Sango picked something up off the floor. "He pulled this out."

The taijiya held up something small and bloody. It was the bullet that had pierced Inu Yasha's shoulder.

"The bleeding's probably already stopped." said Miroku. "Unless he gets wounded again and the wind blows in our favor, there's no way we can find him. It also doesn't help that he doesn't want to be found either."

"Why can't he realize it's not his fault?" Kagome sobbed as Sango draped Inu Yasha's shirt over her. "And why now? Why didn't this ever happen before?"

"We should go back to the motel." Chikara stepped in cautiously with Shippo on her shoulder. "When Otou-sama decides to come back, it'll probably be the first place he'll look."

The others nodded in agreement and followed Chikara back outside. Kagome lingered for a moment, staring up at the hole in the ceiling.

"Inu Yasha, where are you? Please come back!"

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Inu Yasha raced toward the Moby Dick Motel, darting in all directions to keep from leaving a trail. The cold New England air was making him uncomfortable, so he decided to rest for a bit in a small wooded area. Making sure no one was around, he hopped into a tree and settled in.

Slumping against a branch, he curled himself up into a ball and cried.

"Baka! Baka! BAKA!" he scolded himself, banging his head back against the tree hard. "What the hell is wrong with me?! I could've freakin' killed her! I'll never be able to face any of them ever again! The taijiya will want to kill me, the houshi probably wants to open the Air Rip on me, the fox brat'll annoy me, and Kagome…"

Kagome! Oh gods! It was bad enough the others were going to outright kill him, but Kagome's punishment would be absolutely unbearable. She'd slap him. She'd 'O' word him. Then, she would deal the killing blow no youkai could ever inflict: a shattered heart.

Inu Yasha sneezed. He gazed up at the sky and shivered, realizing only now that the new moon would be tonight. The thin pair of boxers he was wearing would do little to keep him warm on a cold night in this freezing land.

He looked down at his claws. They were part of what he was, a part of who his father had been. Then, he twitched his furry white ears. Damn them! His humanity had created those, permanent advertisements to the world that he was neither human nor youkai; he was an in-between, the end product of his father's passion for a mortal woman, nothing…

"Oyaji!!!" he cursed through clenched teeth. "Why did you bring me into this world?? Why did you curse me with this existence??"

Inu Yasha stood up on his branch and cursed to the open sky.

"Why did you make me the freak that I am??" he yelled, snarling. "Why did you give your powers, then curse me with mortal blood!? ANSWER ME!!!!"

Silence was the only reply he received. The wind blew through his hair, decorating it with leaves. He picked one out and looked at it, pensive. Then, he remembered something from long ago.

*Flashback*

"Look, Inu Yasha!" his mother pointed to the falling cherry blossoms snowing from the trees.

Little Inu Yasha laughed as he chased the tiny pink leaves, catching them and throwing them back into the air. Finally, he caught a few and handed the fistful to his mother.

"These are for you, hahaue!" he smiled warmly, showing his tiny fangs.

"Why, thank you, Inu Yasha!" she beamed as she accepted his gift. "They're beautiful."

Inu Yasha scampered away and caught some more, this time running into the house to Sesshoumaru's quarters. The pre-teen demon eyed him distastefully.

"What do you want, hanyou?" Sesshoumaru grumbled.

"I brought these for you, Sesshou-anchan!" Inu Yasha placed the handful of petals on the table Sesshoumaru was sitting at. A few tumbled onto the scroll the older demon had been painting, and he growled impatiently.

"What do I want with these?" Sesshoumaru plucked the stray petals from the wet paint.

"To make you smile!" the little boy grinned. "You hardly ever smile, so I thought these would do the trick!"

Sesshoumaru looked at the pile on his table, then back at the hanyou child. He raised his eyebrow curiously.

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"You and I are the same, Inu Yasha." Kikyou stared into the forest trees. "You too fight your humanity…"

"That…" Inu Yasha growled. "…is why I haven't been able to kill you!"

***********************************

"Kagome," Inu Yasha looked her straight in the eye. "You're always asking how we feel, but you're hurt too."

"It's only a little bump on the head." Kagome blinked.

"From here on out, things will get even more dangerous."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Aren't you afraid? Last time, you hardly escaped with your life!"

"I'm not afraid! Besides, what does that have to do compared to your inj-"

Kagome was cut off in mid-sentence as Inu Yasha pulled her suddenly into his embrace. She could feel the color racing to her face as his warm body held her.

"I was afraid…" he said, holding her tighter. "When I thought you might die, I was afraid…"

*******************************************

Young Inu Yasha came toddling to his mother's side. She had been crying for days without relent, and the little half-demon had not even been told why.

"Hahaue," he rested his hands on her shoulder. "why are you crying?"

"Your father is dead, Inu Yasha." His mother sobbed. "and I loved him very much."

"Did he love you back?" the little cocked his head to one side.

"Very much, little one." she cried. "Very much!"

*End of Flashback*

Inu Yasha felt something warm and wet fall on his wrist. Looking down, he discovered that he was crying. Demons don't cry. Reminding himself brought him his answers.

"Is that why?" Inu Yasha crumpled the leaf and cast it away. "Is that the reason I exist? Is that why I possess the Tetsusaiga? Because I have emotions?"

Again there was no reply, but Inu Yasha was beginning to understand on his own. Demons don't have emotions, but somehow, his father had had them. His parents had given him life out of love, not the heated lust demons were known to take humans for. The Great Demon had wanted a son who would have his power and his emotions. After all this time, it all had finally made sense.

But now, the question was what to do with the emotions his parents had left to him. He had already experienced so many of the negative ones. Could any of them be good? Pleasing?

Thoughts of Kagome returned to his mind. Whenever he was near her, he had a strong sense of security despite the fact that she couldn't protect him from lethal dangers. Still, it was a different kind of security, as if she protected him… from himself. He had to admit that he was quite reckless at times, and having her worry about him made him feel… needed… wanted.

"Perhaps I should go back to the motel." He said aloud. "It's cold out here…"

*******************************************

The sun was starting to set, and there had been no sign of Inu Yasha anywhere. Kagome stayed glued to her seat by the window, watching the woods outside. Occasionally, she would touch the bandaged wounds on her neck, as though making sure that they had really been inflicted.

"Is that bothering you, Kagome?" Sango asked softly. "I can get some ice out of the cold box for you to numb it up, if you'd like."

Kagome shook her head. She wanted to know that those wounds were there, that Inu Yasha, even in his youkai state, had wanted her that way. It was comforting as well as frightening, and Kagome focused her mind on that.

"You know," Sango said as she handed Shippo the television remote. "You're very fortunate that he didn't bite any deeper than he did. It's normal for youkai to do that."

"Why is that?" Kagome glanced back at her friend, then returned her gaze to the window.

"Have you ever seen animals mate?" Sango pointed to the back of her own neck. "One will bite the back of the other's neck to keep it still. When I was little, I watched my father breed two tamed cat demons. That's how Kirara was born."

"I see…" Kagome replied without even turning around. The more she learned, the more certain she was as to why Inu Yasha was the way he was. She only wished that he would come back soon. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon. Inu Yasha would become human very soon and be at risk of getting sick.

Despite being in the room, Chikara had not paid attention to any of the conversation held. Except for the retrieval of the Shikon shard, today had gone all ashamble. Inu Yasha had gone youkai, something she had never seen happen. He had nearly taken her mother by force, which could've had dire consequences on her very existence. Finally, Inu Yasha was out there, human, nearly naked, and out in the bitter New England cold. The intense worry was eating her alive.

******************************************

Inu Yasha had almost reached the motel by the time his demonic powers had left him. The chilly air was much more difficult to bear, and now he was getting hungry. He trudged through the brush and tall grass until he finally spotted the lights of the Moby Dick Motel. The light in the room was on, but soon it was lowered and put out. He sighed sadly, expecting as much from the companions he had nearly killed. Cautiously, he crept up to the window and peeked in.

Inside, everyone was asleep, or at least appeared to be. Chikara and Kagome seemed restless despite the comfort of the bed. Shippo was snoozing with Sango while Miroku had set down some blankets on the floor and fallen asleep as well.

Suddenly, Inu Yasha sneezed. Kagome and Chikara bolted up simultaneously and looked at one another.

"Did you hear that?" Chikara whispered loudly.

"Yeah," Kagome replied. "you too?"

They raced to window, nearly tripping over one another as well as a snoring Miroku. They opened the window and looked around wildly.

"Do you see anything?" asked Kagome.

"No," the younger girl answered. "But he's here! I can smell him!"

"Inu Yasha!" called Kagome, waking everyone else up. "Come back! Please! We know you're out there!"

Around the corner of the building, Inu Yasha crouched low, shivering and struggling to keep from sneezing again. He could here Kagome calling him, but was unsure whether to respond or not. Her voice sounded unhappy, but definitely not angry.

"Perhaps I should go back?" he thought. "No, I have to know how she feels right now before I can face her."

He heard footsteps coming from the front of the building, and he knew instantly that they had come outside to look for him. Thinking quickly, he peeked in the window. Much to his relief, Miroku and Shippo were still asleep in the room. Sango was probably with the other girls, so there was little need to worry about the taijiya. He hopped in the open window and landed soundlessly. Before the houshi or the fox could wake up, Inu Yasha grabbed Miroku and dragged him into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"Inu Yasha!" the monk managed to mutter before a hand covered his mouth.

"Shut up!" Inu Yasha hissed. "I don't want the brat to wake up!"

"What are you doing in here?" Miroku whispered as Inu Yasha cautiously pulled his hand away. "The girls are outside looking for you!"

"I know that, baka!" the transformed hanyou spat. "But I needed to talk to you first!"

"About what?"

"About Kagome! How is she?"

"Worried sick about you!"

"Don't lie to me, houshi! I know she's upset!"

"She is upset, you bastard! She's worried about you!"

"What about earlier? Does she wanna talk or flatten me into the ground?"

"Inu Yasha! You did all that crap while you were a full youkai." Miroku yanked free the wrist Inu Yasha had been holding uncomfortably tight. "You had no control over what you were doing, and she doesn't blame a thing on you! Why can't you understand that?"

"Because it was still me who did it!" Inu Yasha growled.

"It WASN'T you, damn it!" the houshi fumed, unleashing the some of the foul words he rarely used in public. "You were not yourself! We all know that, and we don't hold it against you!"

"Oh really?" Inu Yasha instinctively snarled to show the fangs he was currently missing. "So let me get this straight: If Kagome were to suddenly walk in that door, she'd forgive me for nearly raping her like it was nothing?"

"Shame on you!" Miroku scolded him. "All this time and you still don't know Kagome? If she can still love you after watching you consciously kiss Kikyou out in the woods, I'm sure she can forgive you for practically anything you do in your youkai state!"

That shut Inu Yasha right up. Mentioning the dead miko was the one nerve everyone knew how to get to him with, and he hated it. For Miroku's sake, he hoped the houshi was right.

The outer door opened and Inu Yasha could hear the girls coming in. He glared at the monk threateningly.

"If you say so much as breathe one word of this conversation to them," Inu Yasha whispered barely loud enough for Miroku to hear. "and I swear I'll--"

The door to the bathroom suddenly swung open, and the three girls stared at them. Inu Yasha looked at Kagome like a mouse caught in a trap. No one moved. No one said a word.

~~~~~~~

Don't you guys/gals just love these cliffhangers I keep doing? What'll Inu-chan say? What about Kagome? Anyone else? Can you tell I watch Animal Planet too much? I hope you're all enjoying this! Like it? Hate it? Tell me!