Disclaimer: Kagura and any other Inuyasha-related character are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. "Kouryuu" belongs to Kouryuu524, otherwise known by Kagura615 as "Ko-kun", who in turn is called "K-chan". No copyright infringement intended; used for the sake of entertainment.

A/N: Konnichiwa! This is Ko-kun's and K-chan's first co-writing fanfiction, and we've tried our best to make it enjoyable while having fun doing so. Please pay no heed to the coincidence of Kagura615 writing Kagura in this fic, as well as Kouryuu524 writing Kouryuu. We didn't notice until afterwards that it had turned out like that...XD

Anyways, this is a Kagura/OC fanfiction, as stated in the summary. We've tried to make him as tolerable as possible, while still getting light fluff in here. If you find something terribly wrong, please tell us. Thank you! (Oh, and please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors. K-chan was editing it, and she might've been lazy and skipped over some. Gomen!)

Enjoy!

Beneath the City Lights

Chapter One

'City lights. They've only ever been good at night.'

She sat beneath the bridge that connected one side of the small river to the other side. Her knees to her chin and her arms around her legs, she spent most of the night watching with glaring eyes of crimson. The blues and the yellows...the greens and the pinks...they shone dimly from buildings and were broken up in their reflection on the waters.

Though it was a pain to have to go here every night...somehow, she managed to enjoy it. The river was peaceful, inviting even, and the lights of the city served to replace the stars hidden in the smog filled sky overhead. It was heaven compared to back home, where she wouldn't have been able to get a wink of sleep otherwise.

'Damn...I should have brought a jacket,' she thought sourly, rubbing her pale arms. Little wisps of clouds formed at her mouth as she breathed, the warm air instantly chilled in the night.

"Hey," a strong male voice said from behind the young woman. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

She jumped slightly, turning her head quickly at the voice. Who could be out here this late...? "Yo," she greeted warily, her eyes toning back down to their usual, cautious slits. She released the hold on her legs slightly as his question processed through her mind. "It's not any of your business, but I'm usually out here at night. Who are you, anyway?"

"My name's Kouryuu," the young man said as he stepped into the dim light that came from above the bridge above. He had short black hair and shimmering sapphire blue eyes. He was slim, but his muscles well toned and obvious. A large burn that resembled a dragon covered the majority of his right arm.

"Kagura," she offered after inspecting him. She took note of the scar and mentally scoffed. Tough guy. Turning away, she asked him, "You some gang member or something?" She gestured to his right arm, not feeling particularly generous enough to let him escape this type of conversation. He probably got asked that a lot.

"No, some accident when I was young. I think my mom said it was caused by some gang boss or something setting fire to the car while I was in it," Kouryuu explained as he held out a dark blue hoodie. "You look a bit cold."

Kagura raised a hand to stop him. "I'm fine," she lied. She kept her eyes on the water. After a moment's silence, she spoke up, "Do I...know you from some place? It seems like I know your face from somewhere." The city wasn't too big; she probably might've passed him at a gas station once or twice...

"You come to my store every day," he reminded her with a smirk. "Well, not my store per say. My dad's actually; I work checkout there after school." Before she could say anything, he moved to sit next to her and put the hoodie in her arms. "You're a bad liar. Especially when you're shaking like a leaf in a storm," he added with a smile.

She snorted. "Don't get cocky, kid. Just because I see you in some store, doesn't give you the right to come by and try to win my favor at night." She didn't release the jacket, though, taking in some of the heat while she could. Her eyes trailed back to the river. Her eyebrow rose up when she saw his reflection annoyingly close to hers, and she made a show of scooting away a good five inches.

"Fine, fine. Stay here and freeze," Kouryuu said as he let a breath out a small puff of white cloud with his breath. "But If you want anything warm - a drink, a place to stay, anything, I got the store for the night till about ten tomorrow morning," he offered with a sigh.

"I'm not desperate," Kagura replied. As if on a second thought, she added, "But, thanks. I appreciate the offer." She wouldn't be here for long, anyway. The bridge was only part of her night. Near early morning, she'd conk out in an alley somewhere, feigning the "homeless sleeper" act till the sunlight woke her up or one of her siblings wandered out to rouse her.

But...while she had the opportunity of company...

"How long have you been in school, Kouryuu?" she questioned. Might as well make some conversation with him.

"Umm since...preschool, however long that is," he replied, too lazy to count the years. "I'm fifteen now and I started when I was four...So about, what, eleven years?" He sighed. "Anyways...I'm not saying you're desperate or anything...but you have the chance to eat and drink as much as you want in a nice warm store, so why pass it up?"

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, but responded easily enough. "I'll drop by if it'll make you feel better...but, really, I don't eat much, and I'm on a budget." A low grumble in her lower stomach made her cringe. Traitor. "Well, now that I think about it...I guess I'm a little hungry. But I'm not staying for the night. My, uh, father wouldn't like that." 'Damn it...pausing like that's gonna get him suspicious. The last thing I need is this guy on my case...'

"Well, I'm not going to stop trying to get you to stay the night; just FYI," Kouryuu said as he held out a hand, offering to her help up. "And don't worry: we've got a lot of extra food. We're not gonna sell out soon, so you can eat as much as you like." He smiled, but grew serious as he continued. "I wouldn't suggest you wander outside too much. Street violence has been getting worse and worse; just yesterday someone tried to mug me while I was going home after work."

"I can take care of myself pretty well, but thanks for the warning." She accepted his hand slowly, pulling herself up. Her eyes trailed over him again now, and she could clearly see he was taller than her. "You know, you don't look like someone who'd get mugged." Especially not with that scar on his arm. Who was the guy who tried anyhow: a rookie thief?

"I guess," the young man shrugged as he tuned a flashlight on and walked into the darkness around the bridge. "You coming?" he asked, turning back to the woman.

Kagura pulled at her purple long-sleeved shirt, trying to bring it up further on her neck. "Yeah, I'm coming." Her hands gripped at some kind of material and she had to look down to remember she was still holding his jacket. She raised an eyebrow and looked up, about to call out for him to wait so she could lob it at him, but refrained from doing so when she saw he was already pretty far away. It'd be a wasted effort. Curling it up and tucking it under her arm, she began jogging to catch up to him.

"What took you?" Kouryuu asked curiously as he slowed down so she could catch up. He stopped for a few seconds until she stood beside him.

"Nothing," she replied curtly, lightly huffing. She handed him his jacket. "Here. I won't need it if your store's warm."

He pushed it back into her arms. "I don't need it," he said, gently. "Keep it."

With another snort, she shrugged and rejoined with a, "Suit yourself." She kept it balled up in her arms and started walking again. They got onto the bridge and began walking the short way into the city and towards his father's store. Her eyes were kept straight ahead, except for the occasional glance, which would be met by curious azure eyes for only a brief moment until she swiftly turned away again. 'Why the hell is he staring at me like that?' she wondered. 'Damn kid must think he's got a chance with me.'

She realized that she wasn't all that much older than him. A couple years maybe. But, then again, maybe that was just enough of a gap to justify her use of calling him "kid". Plus she must have seen him quite a lot, though maybe not when she was completely sober...

"We're here," he said, unlocking the door to the store and opening it for her. He bowed a bit, holding it so she could enter.

The warm draft intensified her goose bumps and she rubbed her arms as she entered the store. It was a relief to get to someplace warm. Breathing in the air selfishly, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Yes, definitely a relief.

She opened her eyes again, looking around the store. Of course it was familiar, though a bit hazy in her memory bank. She'd frequently stop by after sneaking a few shots from the stash her father kept, so it was no wonder why there were some things she couldn't quite recall.

"This way," Kouryuu said as he opened a door leading to a back room. He waited for her to step through before he closed the door, leaving them in darkness.

Kagura blinked at the sudden blackness. "Why the hell are we in here?" she demanded, turning to where she could remember the door had been.

Kouryuu quickly flicked the lights on, allowing the florescent bulbs overhead to shine to life. "This is where we keep the old food," he said, motioning to the shelves stocked with food. "It's not bad," he added with a smirk. "We just got new food; that's all."

"What makes you think I'd be eating any of your new stuff?" she replied skeptically. "I don't want to impose upon you that much. Some chips will do fine." She scanned the room and shook her head. "No, really. I'll eat whatever is out front."

"Trust me," he said as he pushed her deeper into the room. "It's less imposing if you eat what's back here instead of the stuff up front," the young man said with a smile. "This stuff is free. The stuff out there you have to pay for, so eat."

Kagura threw him a look, but it apparently had no affect. She sighed deeply, not willing to put in any extra effort. "Fine," she breathed in defeat. "I'll eat it. You have anything in mind?" She looked over the shelves; seeing such a diversity was mouthwatering to say the least, but she kept her jaw tight and willed her stomach not to emit any embarrassing noises. Not like it worked. She'd learned long ago that Fortune was not on her side.

"What do you like?" he asked, walking over to a shelf and grabbing two cans of Coca Cola. "Catch," he said, tossing her a can. She easily caught it like he had expected. "Good catch," he said, grabbing himself a bag of Hawaiian sweet onion potato chips.

"Good reflexes," she explained, promptly snapping the can open. She took a deep sip and sighed in her exhale. Her hand moved up to wipe at her lips. "I'll settle with this for now; I'll grab a couple bags on my way out. You got any place to sit in here? My legs are beat."

"Got a bed a little farther in the back," Kouryuu said, motioning to the back of the room. "Well, more like a prison cot, but it works," he added with a grin. "I can heat you up some ramen or pizzas...or hotdogs or something."

"No, I'm fine," she responded, going over to the bed and sitting on it. The springs lurched under her weight. She made a scowling face as if to threaten it, but of course it did not respond. Composing herself back up, she turned back to the boy, her hands gripping the cool can. "I remember your dad's face more than I remember yours. How long has he run this place, anyway?" As if on a side note, she added in, "It's nice; doesn't look that old at all."

"I don't know," the young man admitted with a sigh. "He's had it as long as I can remember." He sat on a wooden crate that was near the cot. He opened the bag of chips and started eating them one by one.

Kagura watched him, sipping on her drink every once and a while. "Hmm." Her eyes drifted back over to the shelves. She had time to look around a bit, so she took advantage of it and did so. There certainly was a lot of food to eat. Chips, small snacks, even loaves of bread from what she could see. She wondered silently what Naraku, her "father", would do if he saw her well and healthy, but pushed the thought out of her mind. That'd be then, but this was now. She looked back over to Kouryuu.

Taking another sip, she began casually, "So, you look like a decent enough guy. Bet you have a girlfriend."

"Unfortunately, no," Kouryuu grumbled as he looked to the ground. "Nice girls think I'm some bad ass gangster and I can't do crap to change that." He took a drink. "And the gangster girls either think I'm a momma's boy or they do too many drugs and stuff to care about hooking up."

She made a face. "Those 'gangster girls' shouldn't be keeping your interest in the first place. Just a bunch of wannabes. As for the 'nice girls', I can see where you're coming from." She gave him the look-over once more, took note of the scar, and hid a chuckle with another chug of her soda. "It's a shame, though, what these girls see. Always superficial. For what it's worth, you act decently enough for a girl, even if your looks don't necessarily give off that kind of a vibe."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "I don't get a lot of compliments, so it's nice when I do." He held out a bag of chips. "Want some?"

Avoiding it any more would drive her stomach on an insane rumbling process, so she merely gave a short nod and reached out to take a handful. She uttered a nearly silent "Thanks" and began chewing on one. It felt oddly good on her teeth to finally get something to eat, and it definitely pleased her stomach. She began eating another one. "How far do you live from here? You can't possibly bunk out in this store."

"Across town," Kouryuu replied with a sigh. "The night shift here is hellishly boring, so most of the time I just come back here and slack off," he said, taking another drink. "It's a lot more fun having someone to talk to."

"Hmm," Kagura agreed, chewing on another chip. "I guess." It did feel oddly good to have someone to talk to, even though she normally preferred peace and quiet. Maybe she only preferred silence with her family, who hardly ever opened their mouths except to give orders or make nasty comments. Outside of that, though, she really didn't mind.

"What about you?" the blue eyed man questioned as he sipped his pop once more. "You don't just wonder around town all night, do you?"

Kagura paused for a while. "Well, that's most of it," she concurred, "but you're right; it's not all I do." She fumbled with her soda a little, and then took a sip. "Some nights I can't get out of the house, so I stay in. I have siblings, but they aren't the kind to provide entertainment. Well, at least not my type of entertainment." She narrowed her eyes and took another gulp. "I don't read much, and we don't have a T.V. So I find entertainment in the simple things. Like this, for instance." She raised her can for emphasis.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how do you entertain yourself with an empty pop can?" he inquired, looking at the empty piece of metal. "I mean, I can understand how I can, but it usually involves hitting the can around or shooting at it with something..." he trailed off, thinking to himself for a moment.

The young woman offered a snort of laughter. "Not just this can," she replied. "I mean, being with somebody. Talking. Doing something I don't normally do. That's where the can comes in." Another shake ensued, concluding that it was, indeed, empty. "It's not like I get to drink whatever I want all the time...unless I earn the money myself and decide to spend it on this kind of stuff."

"How is it that the can comes in again?" the young man questioned, a bit puzzled, as he finished his drink and crushed his can on the floor with a stomp. "What, do you talk to inanimate objects in your spare time?"

"You make that sound like a bad thing," she joked, mimicking his actions and crushing her can. She picked up the crushed piece of metal and set it down on her knee. "No, I don't talk to cans. I meant drinking from it. I don't usually buy junk food or anything. So it ties in with my earlier point of 'doing something I don't normally do'."

"Ok, I'll buy that," Kouryuu said with a laugh, showing that was a bit of a joke. He then tossed his can into the air and kicked it away, hearing it clank on the floor in the distance. "So, what do you do when you're at home?"

Her mouth tugged downwards. "I'd rather not talk about that. Let's find something more enjoyable."

"Ok then, what should we talk about?" Kouryuu inquired as he sat on the box, looking at the ceiling. "Umm, I think I saw a bruise or something on your back before tonight. So what is it?"

Kagura threw a glare his way. "You saw that...? It's none of your business, anyway. Find another topic." She turned her head away, but unconsciously reached a hand to where the bruise he had mentioned was. When she noticed, she jerked it back down. 'Damn reflexes...'

"Well, you asked me about the scar on my arm," he reminded her smugly as he looked at the woman in front of him. "I think that gives me enough room to ask you about that thing on your back, now spill it."

She seethed mildly, biting back some self-intended curses. It didn't seem like she could say anything back that would change his mind. Sighing, she finally answered, "Fine. I hurt myself once during work. Happy?"

"You're lying," the black haired man growled as he looked at the ruby eyed woman. "It had a definite shape and pattern. I could tell it wasn't exactly an accident that caused that, so don't try lying." After saying this, the young man got up and walked to the other side of the room.

Her eyes narrowed even more. After a long, speechless moment, she announced, "My father did it."

"Care to elaborate more?" the young man asked, knowing all to well that he wasn't really going to give her a choice in the matter.

She felt as if she'd regret doing so, but decided it wouldn't hurt...at least, not now. Sighing once again, she continued, "I'm not exactly on the 'best of terms' with my father." Her voice was etched with venomous revulsion at the word "father", which she had given up hopes of nullifying. "I disobey him frequently, with good reason. He doesn't 'love' me, that's plain to see, but he does 'love', or rather 'desire', to inflict pain on me. That scar you saw was an example of that." She paused. "I'm not fond of talking about it."

"Wow," was all the young man could say to that statement. He took a few moments as he walked back to his previous position and sat back on the crate. "So...does it hurt any more?"

"A little," she replied, forcing her hands from reaching around to touch it.

"Well, I'm sorry that you have to go through pain like that..." he murmured trailing off into thought. "I have a first aid kit back here if you need to use it."

Kagura laughed slightly. "I don't think that would do much to help. But...thanks. I appreciate the concern."

"That's good then," he said with a sigh as he looked around the back of the shop a bit. "Want something else?"

"I'm fine," she answered with a wave of her hand. "I've got to get going soon, anyway. I'll take a couple bags back home with me if it's all right with you."

"But it's only," Kouryuu began, looking at his watch and then back to the woman, "three A.M. I don't think you need to be going back just yet, do you?"

She pondered on that for a while, then shook her head. "Maybe not right now. I can spare a little more time, I guess. Why, you afraid I might never come back again?" She smirked. "I already told you that I'm always out under the bridge at night."

"Well, maybe I can change that," he said with a chuckle. "I mean, you don't do anything at night do you?"

"I watch the city lights," Kagura rejoined. Well, that, and pretty much appreciate the feeling of being "free", which was really anywhere away from her "home".

"Well...it may not be much, but we're always looking for someone to take the night shift, since I can't run the store during the week 'cuz of school," he explained with a sigh before looking back to the woman. "At any rate, you'd be able to sit back here most of the night, gorge yourself on junk food, and be in the nice warm store all night."

A light, genuine smile tugged on her lips. But, she wouldn't allow herself to get too relaxed. Sending him her trademark smirk, she told him, "I suppose I wouldn't mind. Does the store get many visitors at night?"

"It's normally like this," he said, stretching his legs and arms, trying to un-stiffen his body. "But you will get the occasional person coming in here and the rare mugging attempt. But that's why there's a shotgun under the counter," he added, allowing himself a small laugh.

She offered a laugh of her own. "That's good. I'll be able to get some quiet, then." She reached over and grabbed a couple bags from the shelves. "I'll be taking these, then. I'll pay you back when I get my salary."

"Like I said, this stuff is free for employees," he said as he grabbed another pop and cracked it open. "And you're an employee now so take what you want."

"I'm satisfied with these for now, thanks." Kagura looked around a bit before shaking her head. "Anyways, I'd better leave."

"All right. See you tomorrow, then," he responded with a smile as he took a drink of his pop. "That's when you're starting. Be here by nine, ok?"

She nodded. "I can't afford to be late on my first day of work...you might fire me," she added in jest. She took a few steps to the door and opened it, squinting at the harsh florescent lights of the store.

"I just might have to if you're late," he said with a chuckle, following her out and standing behind the cash register. "So see you tomorrow, right?"

With another smirk, she replied, "Right." 'See you tomorrow. Why does that sound like it'll grow on me or something?' "See you, then." She turned towards the entrance, pushing against the glass frame and stepping out. The cold blast bit at her skin, but it wouldn't bother her for a while after.

Kouryuu watched her for a while before clenching his fist. "Ah...wait!" he called out. She turned her head towards him and he moved forward. They stared at each other for a while, Kagura raising her eyebrow in expectance. He appeared to be transfixed by her eyes, seeing his reflection in their blood red depths. Finally, he moved his hand towards her, gingerly touching her face. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she was about to react, but he beat her to it by retracting his hand and saying, "Uh...nothing. See you."

She looked at him oddly, but couldn't help from giving him another one of her smirks. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

With that, she turned back around and left. The door swung closed behind her. Tomorrow...

Outside of the store, Kagura was already making her way back to the bridge. She'd stay there for a while until it was suitable for her to get back home. Rubbing at her arms to keep in the heat, she watched her breath turn to puffs and gripped at the bags. Her eyes flickered towards the city lights she so frequently watched, and she stopped in her tracks to admire them.

Meanwhile, Kouryuu had stationed himself back behind the cash register, his eyes focusing on his hand. It felt...good to have her feel warm, rather than chilled like she usually seemed to feel like. His thoughts went back to the faint promise she had left him and he grinned. He wouldn't have known, but she was thinking about it too, silently.

'Tomorrow.'

A/N: Well...there it is! We hope you like it. It was fun to write, either way! (Although...the title didn't really fit too much it, huh? -sweatdrops- Gomen...)

We were planning on making this a one-shot, but decided we'd try our hand at a longer fanfiction. However, if it does end up just leaving off here (or with another chapter, making it a "two-shot"), we'll go back in and edit "Chapter One" as "One-shot". Otherwise, expect something more in the future...

Our apologies if you didn't like it very much. A review telling us why not would help (unless it's just because you hate/dislike Kagura or OC's in general), but it doesn't matter whether you take the time to send one or not. We'd appreciate it, though. :3

Thanks for reading! Ja ne!