Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me. The song "Baby It's Cold Outside" does not belong to me either. The song was written by Loesser in 1944, rights sold to MGM in 1948. Sung by dozens of different artists.
Mouse and Wolf: A Christmas Story
"I really can't stay," Kagome said with regret.
The last of the party guests had left. Kagome was disappointed that Inuyasha had apparently left as well. She had hung around hoping to have a chance to talk with him, hoping to give him the gift she had wrapped and had even been brave enough to top it with mistletoe. It was as big of a hint as she was willing to make. Life would have changed for her, one way or another. It had taken her months to work up the courage to take the risk.
"But, baby, it's cold outside."
Kagome grimaced at the wolfish smile, not to mention the inappropriate endearment. But, her mama raised her to be polite, so she tried her best to stay pleasant.
"Got to go away," she mumbled as she searched quickly for her purse. Where was that thing? She could have sworn that she had left it by the hat rack. It was way past time to get out of the house. Kouga's advances were getting out of hand. The last of the other guests had left and there was no way she was sticking around if no one else was here with them.
"But, baby, it's cold outside."
Of course it was cold outside. It had snowed all afternoon. Frowning at her dainty heeled feet she wished she had worn snow boots. Not that Inuyasha had noticed her pretty shoes anyhow. Glancing outside she saw the snow falling a little heavier than before outside. She had to leave now or she'd never be able to make it through the oncoming storm. Why oh why hadn't she agreed to go with Sango? She had been insane thinking that she could talk Inuyasha into giving her a ride home. What had she been thinking? She KNEW he rarely stuck around at parties, or any sort of gathering really. But she kept thinking she saw a glimpse of his silver hair... but she never actually found him. Now she would be stuck walking to the bus stop through all this snow. And it was dark and getting late.
Deciding to be firm, but polite, Kagome gave Kouga a smile and stuck out her hand. "This evening has been so very nice."
"Been hoping you'd drop in," Kouga said a little too quickly, hinting at the many times he had given her an invitation and she had turned down gently. The only reason she even came was because Sango and Miroku swore up and down that Inuyasha was coming. And it might be her last chance before the holiday that she would get to see him. And she really wanted him to see the mistletoe. Maybe she would giggle a little and hold it above his head, present and all, and steal a friendly kiss. Pretend it wasn't as important as it was.
Then Kouga held her hand in both of his and she froze, thoughts finally pulling from Inuyasha. "I'll hold your hands... they're just like ice."
That would be the sudden fear, Kagome thought to herself. She tried to tug it back, but he had a pretty good grip on her hand. Well, she tried a polite goodbye. Maybe she should try a little logic. "My mother will start to worry," she explained.
"Beautiful watch you're wearing," he said as he played with the slim watch around the wrist he still had captive.
She fought the urge to rip it off and throw it in hopes he'd go chase it. But he wasn't a playful dog... he was more of a... a wolf. She cleared her throat and tried again. "My father will be pacing the floor." Okay, her father had disappeared on them years ago, but surely Kouga didn't know that. Surely an angry father would get a better reaction than a worried mother.
"Listen to that fireplace roar."
To her dismay, he tried to pull her in the direction of the fireplace. She dug her heels in and tried to head to the door, but with no success. Shoes with traction would have been nice. She gulped as she lost the battle for her hand. People wrote stories about situations like this. And they almost never ended well.
"So really, I'd better scurry."
"Beautiful, please don't hurry."
He placed a warm mug of cocoa in her free hand. Maybe if she took a few sips she could lull him into letting her guard down and she could escape. Kouga was really beginning to worry her. He had to be insane, so she had to be careful. She had to think.
"Well, maybe just half a drink." The cocoa was delicious, she was nervous and ended up drinking the whole mug. It had an interesting taste to it, and it warmed her up fast. She was warm enough that she was certain that she could survive waiting around at the bus stop now. Though she wished she had worn more sensible shoes.
"Put some records on while I pour."
Kagome giggled. Records? Who had records anymore. She giggled again. It seemed very very funny. She wasn't sure why though. He poured her some more hot cocoa and went to the window. She thought that was funny too as she started sipping it, reveling in the taste of chocolate and the warmth it radiated.
"The neighbors might think..." Think... what would they think? It was hard to remember. She knew what she was talking about a moment ago. Then things just got a little... fuzzy.
"Baby, it's bad out there," Kouga said as he closed the curtains. And locked the door.
"Say..." Things were really hot now, and it was getting harder and harder to think right. "What's in this drink?" The room began to spin a little when she tried to walk to the door. She put the cup down. What had he done to her drink?
"No cabs to be had out there." He came towards here with his wolfish smile. No... a demon's smile.
All humor vanished. She had to get out of there. But she couldn't seem to get her body to work right. "I wish I knew how..." she gasped as she tried to move.
"Your eyes are like starlight now," he said in a low voice as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. So fast… he moved so fast.
"...to break this spell..." She focused and tried to clear her head. She had to fight this thing, whatever it was, that he had done to her drink. She would get out of here. She had to. But... her body just wasn't cooperating with her head.
"I'll take your hat. Your hair looks swell."
She couldn't stop him from taking her hat, or her scarf. When she realized he was unbuttoning her jacket she hazily wondered why she couldn't slap his hands away. "I ought to say no, no," she said hoarsely as she tried to move her arms. But her knees were beginning to buckle, and it took all her concentration to stay upright.
"Mind if I move in closer."
If he hadn't been invading her personal space before, he sure was now. She could feel his breath on her. She felt like he might literally devour her. Probably in the morning all they would find of her would be her bones. No. No no no. She was not a quitter. If they did find her remains in the morning "at least I'm going to say I tried." She blinked. Just how much of that did she say aloud?
"What's the sense in hurting my pride?" The coat slid down her arms and hit the floor.
"I really can't stay," she managed to take a step back. It was shaky, and it was small. But it was a step back. The room swam before her eyes, but she swallowed hard and pushed herself to move another step. Run Kagome, she told herself. Run.
However, she didn't get far. Her extraordinary effort went to waste as Kouga easily grasped her hands and pulled her back to him. "Baby, don't hold out."
He took a breath to continue. Kagome was certain of what he was going to say. He said it with almost a purr, and she said it with a feeling of dread. In a twisted sort of way they said almost in harmony, "Baby, it's cold outside."
Kouga leaned in close. Kagome may not have had a lot (or any) experience with kissing. But she read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies, and she knew that Kouga was about to try to steal her first kiss. The kiss she had been saving for Inuyasha since they were twelve and she had fallen head over heels in love with him. The thought of losing that kiss to Kouga made her sick. Really sick.
The best timing EVER sick!
Just in time the wolf demon jumped out of the way as Kagome began to empty the contents of her stomach onto his carpet. Serves him right, she thought as he picked her up and tossed her into the bathroom as another wave of nausea hit her.
Once she had nothing left to expel, she shakily got up and went to the sink. She cleaned her face and then noticed her shirt. Luckily there was very little evidence of her sickness. She scooped some water up in a cup she made with her hands and swooshed water around in her mouth before spitting it out. Then she found some toothpaste and put some on her finger so that she could scrub her teeth as best as she could. She wondered how long she would be able to hide out in here.
That question was answered in five minutes when suddenly the door flew open and Kouga was there, leaning against the door frame. He looked her up and down, then grinned at her in a way that let her know that one itty bitty bout with sickness was not going to derail him.
Before he could say anything she said firmly, though it came out rather shaky and thin, "I simply must go."
"Baby, it's cold outside."
She grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Though she would dearly love to punch him. The fact was, he was a demon, and she was a human stopped her. It was more likely that she would break her hand punching him than to cause him any sort of discomfort. Luckily emptying her stomach seemed to clear up some of what had incapacitated her and she was able to at least think again.
Mostly.
She looked him in the eye and said, "The answer is no."
"Baby, it's cold outside."
She wished she was a real miko, and not just a miko in training. Her plans had never really gone past what good movie there was to watch, or passing exams and getting homework turned in. But when her sister Kikyo had packed a duffel bag one day and said she was off to be a missionary in some far off country, Kagome was suddenly given the task of taking up the mantle for the honor of her family. The mantle wasn't exactly accepted graciously, Kagome felt guilty about that. She couldn't remember if she had ever apologized for making such a fuss over having to step into Kikyo's shoes. She hoped she'd get the chance. Fervently she prayed for help, pleading, begging, promising to actually take her miko lessons seriously and practice using the sacred bow and arrow every day until she could hit the target.
Kouga continued to watch her with that hungry look. Terror filled her when it occurred to her that more than death awaits her by his hands. She was trapped. Trying to look pleasant and friendly (and not at all suspicious), Kagome gave him a smile and scoot around him. The brush of her clothes against his sent shivers of ice up her spine. She almost bolted, but just barely managed to look nonchalant as she walked back into the living room. If she hadn't glanced back, she wouldn't have seen the frown he was giving her. Apparently he hadn't thought about what would happen if whatever he put in her drink didn't take. She tried not to betray the weakness and trembling that threatened to overwhelm her. She got to her coat, scooped it up, and spun around to face him with that fake pleasant smile she hoped would fool him.
"The welcome has been..."
"How lucky that you dropped in."
She ignored his interruption and continued talking. "...so nice and warm." Not to mention dangerous and terrifying. Inuyasha had been right when he warned her to stay away from him. She had stupidly thought that maybe he was a little jealous and it had made her feel a little thrill of joy that he might care. So she made a colossal mistake and never spelled it out clearly for the wolf demon that she wasn't interested. She didn't think that she had ever encouraged him, but she hadn't slapped his face when he grasped her hand at school, simply disengaged it and brushed it off as harmless. Besides... Inuyasha had always put the wolf in his place.
"Look out the window at the storm," he said as he grabbed the sleeve of her coat, keeping her from putting it on.
Well, it wasn't her favorite coat anyhow. She did, however, wish she had worn a nice warm sweater, three or four would be ideal, instead of the terribly impractical short red dress that she had hoped would catch Inuyasha's attention. Snow boots and thermal underwear would have been nice too. But when she got dressed that evening she hadn't really thought she would be making a break for it through the snow and race through a storm.
Kouga hadn't been lying, the storm really was ferocious out there. The snow would make driving impossible. She couldn't even call for a ride since the batteries in her cell phone had died in the middle of a long text to Sango about if she should take off the mistletoe from the present or not. Of all the days to forget to charge it...
No turning back time, she reminded herself. Get it together and get out. It must have surprised him when she let go of the coat and darted for the door, because she was able to open the lock and get it open before he realized what she had done. She had one foot out when she felt his hand on her arm. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. She tried to calm herself down as she turned to face him.
"My sister will be suspicious," Not technically a lie. Kikyo would have been suspicious if she was still at home instead of wandering the country somewhere.
"Gosh your lips look delicious."
Kagome's stomach turned. He did remember she was just sick all over his floor didn't he? Maybe she shouldn't have brushed her teeth. Gross? Yes, but it might have been some sort of protection. Okay, so her sister wasn't exactly something to make him think twice about keeping her hostage. His grip tightened and he began to pull. Digging her heels in she tried to think of something more threatening than her absent sister.
"My brother will be there at the door." So her brother was a few years younger than her. Big deal. However, for all Kouga knew she had great big hulking brothers that could crush cars with their bare hands.
"Waves upon a tropical shore."
What?
WHAT?
Waves upon a tropical shore? He really was insane
"My maiden aunt's mind is vicious!" If he cared a little tiny bit he wouldn't want her character to be slandered. He pulled her inside straight towards the couch. Apparently her honor didn't mean a whole lot to him.
"Gosh, your lips are delicious."
His fingertips touched her lips and every fiber of her being screamed. She backed up quickly and hit the end table. There was a clink as her watch hit something. She wrenched her head away and saw the ashtray. Quickly she grabbed one of the cigarette butts and stuffed it between her lips. It was disgusting and foul, but infinitely better than he was planning. Maybe the smell would drive him away.
"But maybe just a cigarette more," she said as it bobbed when she spoke.
His nose wrinkled and he stepped back. The door was still open, snow was sprinkling the carpet as the wind blew it in. Escape was so close she could taste it. Well, she'd be able to taste it if the scent of tobacco wasn't so overwhelming.
"Never such a blizzard before," he remarked, still keeping his distance. She almost smiled in victory as his nose twitched again. It was a short lived victory though. The cigarette was out of her mouth and flicked into a trash can before she could blink. She spit out traces of tobacco and tried not to gag.
"I got to get home." She watched him carefully, her voice cracked with the plea. She had to wait until he was distracted so she could make her break. Trying not to look at the still open door, she calculated how much of a head start she would need to get out.
"But baby you'd freeze out there."
Please oh please don't let me have said all that out loud, she prayed. Luckily it seemed like she hadn't been speaking her thoughts after all. She watched as he searched his pockets for something. It was gum. He handed her a stick, but she shook her head. What she needed was to think of a distraction for her to slip out of the house. Her brain, however, was still a little fuzzy and keeping her thoughts together was difficult. She felt weak and sick and scared. Outside the snow was still falling fast. In the window she saw her reflection staring back at her with haunted eyes. Her beautiful dress had been torn somewhere along the way. Her makeup had been washed off earlier when she was sick, leaving only smudges where her mascara had run. Her hair was a mess. She was a mess. That gave her an idea. She kept her eyes to the floor so they wouldn't give away her excitement.
"Say..." It was a long shot. "Lend me a comb." By the time he got back from the bathroom she could be halfway down the block. Even his demon senses couldn't track her in that snow.
But Kouga wasn't as dumb as she hoped he was. Instead of being a gentleman and going to the bathroom to fetch her a comb, he stepped into her personal space and put his hands in her hair. Slowly he began combing her hair with his fingers, catching and pulling at the tangles. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears.
"It's up to your knees out there," he whispered into her ear
Unable to take the grooming, Kagome reached up and took his hand to pull it from her. "You've really been grand," she tried feebly again.
"I thrill when you touch my hand."
A sob caught in her throat. "But don't you see...?"
"How can you do this to me?"
Kagome wasn't sure what it was that he thought she was doing to him. And she wasn't opening her eyes to find out. "There's bound to be talk tomorrow." Her voice was a whisper. But talking was the only real defense she had against him without any weapons.
"Think of my life long sorrow..."
Her temper flared at that and her eyes flew open to glare. His lifelong sorrow? HIS sorrow? Who was keeping who captive? Was he seriously trying to guilt trip her now? "At least they'll be plenty implied." Okay, so now her tone was starting to get a touch sarcastic. That can't be good.
"..if you caught pneumonia and died."
Oh.
Oh okay, he was trying to be sweet. Sorrow for if she died, got it. But it was still manipulation using guilt and was still unfair. At least her anger gave her fuel. "I really can't stay." This time her tone was flat and cold as the snow.
"Get over that old out," he snarled.
With that she hooked her foot behind his ankle and shoved with her shoulder into his gut. It startled him enough that he lost his balance. Spinning on her heel she raced for the door, pulling down the hat rack near it behind her to hopefull y cause some sort of hindrance to him. Every second would count. Her tractionless shoes slid on the ice and she nearly fell. For a moment she debated kicking off her heels, but then discarded that idea. She didn't want frostbite.
It really was cold outside, but at least she had a taste of freedom. Tears froze on her cheeks as she tried to shove her way through the snow. Even if she had been wearing jeans instead of a skirt she wouldn't have been able to run in the snow with as deep as it was. And she didn't have the demon reflexes to be able to bound through it. The growl behind her let her know that the hat rack didn't trip him at all. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was all she had. So Kagome scooped up some snow and quickly packed it into a tight ball and threw it at the wolf demon.
Luckily her aim was good and the frozen projectile hit him square between the eyes. Unluckily for her, it was just a snowball and wouldn't have hurt a human child much less all grown demon.
Her feet were freezing and going numb. Without her coat her skin was so cold it burned. Her fingers were bright red and hurt down to the bones. It was an ineffective weapon, but as Kouga prowled closer to her, Kagome reached down for another scoopful of snow. This time the snowball hit missed by at least a foot. She tried for a third, but her hands wouldn't work, frozen and stiff. He took his time coming for her. Kagome tried to scream to get his neighbors attention, but her lungs couldn't seem to draw enough air in to make more than a harsh whisper.
He practically sang to her as he said as he reached for her, "Baby, it's cold outside." And she couldn't help but whisper it in horror at the same time. That phrase would haunt her for the rest of her life.
His fingers were so close to her skin that she could feel their warmth. Cold as she was, she turned from that warmth. She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. She was tired. Whatever Kouga had put in her drink was still causing her to be sluggish and foggy. But she couldn't give up. She had to keep fighting no matter what. Inuyasha... Kagome pictured his warm golden eyes and the smile she could sometimes coax out of him. He was her strength.
A screeching of tires and a blood curdling roar made her eyes pop back open. She watched in wonder as the figure of Inuyasha rose up behind a snowdrift, like an angel.
A fierce, bloodthirsty, swearing angel.
His fist landed in Kouga's face. Kagome was nearly certain she heard the crack of bone. When Inuyasha drew his arm back for another punch she saw the blood on Kouga's face and knew that his nose had been broken. But the wolf demon couldn't be stopped by a punch. He kicked upwards and caught Inuyasha in the arm before the next blow could be delivered. Kagome had stumbled backwards and had fallen in the snow. Though she was grateful that the snow helped cushion the blow a little, she knew her backside would be sore for days. Inuyasha's eyes went to her as she fell, distracting him. The distraction was all Kouga needed to land a kick into Inuyasha's stomach.
Her silver haired savior growled, and Kagome scrambled to her feet and out of the way. Slipping across the ice she fell again, landing on some sort of rock. Pain blinded her, but she heard the fight go on. For a moment she wondered if she had broken her hand when she tried to catch herself. Then she realized what her hand was touching. It was a brick. Kouga had edged around his mailbox with bricks. They were at an angle, and stuck firm in the frozen ground, but Kagome pulled anyhow. There was another bone crunching sound and Kagome looked up. There was blood on both dog and wolf demon, but she wasn't sure whose. The thought that it might be Inuyasha's made her blood boil!
With a mighty tug Kagome finally loosened the brick. She ferociously pulled and pushed at it until it wiggled loose and she could get it out of the ground. Unsteadily dragging herself to her feet, Kagome fought the wave of nausea and faced the battle.
It seemed to be an even match. Both were breathing hard. Both were growling and snarling. Both seemed to be wounded.
Inuyasha's eyes flickered to her and away as she stood facing him with her brick, Kouga between them with his eyes focused on Inuyasha. An understanding seemed to pass between them, and Inuyasha began insulting Kouga with even more creativity. Slowly Kagome inched towards the wolf demon until she was an arm's length away. He was aware she was there, but didn't look away from his opponent. With all of her strength, Kagome lifted the brick high above her head. Kouga turned. She let the brick fall onto his head, not missing the brief flash of surprise cross his face. The wolf demon fell.
Then so did Kagome.
She wanted to ask Inuyasha if she killed him. He seemed to know what she wanted to know, so he looked closely then shook his head at her. No, not dead, but knocked out cold.
Scooping her up in his arms, Inuyasha held Kagome close to him. The shock of the heat from him actually hurt her skin with as cold as she was, but she wasn't about to complain. Awkwardly he pulled off his coat as he held her and wrapped her in it, all without setting her down. He carried her to the house and went inside to get her coat, but she shook her head and buried her face into his chest. She didn't want it anymore, not after Kouga had taken it off of her. But she did want to get Inuyasha's present. Turning her head away from his warmth, she scanned the room for the mistletoe topped gift. It had fallen to the floor by then end table somewhere along the way. Pointing to the present, not trusting her voice, she expected to be set down to retrieve it. But Inuyasha wasn't letting her go. He scooped up the gift, then grabbed her coat anyhow, mumbling something about setting fire to it but the wolf wasn't keeping anything of hers.
Tucking her in closer, Inuyasha kicked the door back open and walked out into the snow, not bothering to step over the fallen wolf. He quickly moved to his car and carefully opened up his passenger side door. He set Kagome inside, but didn't bother to buckle her up. After she was settled in he raced to the driver's side and put the keys in the ignition. While Kagome shivered uncontrollably he cranked the heater up to high before gathering her in his arms again.
He let her cry, and he swore vengeance.
When she pulled back he wiped her eyes. They looked at each other for a long moment. Speaking to each other without words. Then he put the car in gear and he took her home.
His home.
Inuyasha carried her inside and her head rested against his shoulder. With his foot he kicked off the magazines and unfolded laundry that littered the sofa that doubled as his bed. Then he laid Kagome down and covered her with every blanket he owned. She giggled a little at this, but didn't push the blankets away.
He sat near her and rubbed warmth into her hands and feet. He would text his brother to come take a look at her. Once they knew just what the wolf had done they could take steps to bringing him to justice, one way or another. For once Inuyasha was glad of his brother being a doctor, even if he was cold as ice himself.
Kagome whispered something sleepily, and incoherently, then drifted off. Inuyasha sat beside her to watch over her. He would make sure she was safe.
Curiosity overcame him when he saw the gold box wrapped in red ribbon she had dropped beside her. He glanced at the sleeping girl, then picked up the small gift with his name written neatly on the tag in her distinctive handwriting. He smiled at the mistletoe and looked warmly at Kagome, hope blooming in his chest. Carefully he unwrapped the gift, planning on putting the paper back exactly the way it was so she could see him open it when she was feeling better. Inside was a little black box. On the inside was a golden locket. He blinked at it, a little surprised. Then he gently picked it up and opened it. He grinned at the picture of them inside. He remembered the photo, it had been taken when they were kids. He closed the locket and noticed something etched into the back. He couldn't stop the smile when he read the words.
All my love, always.
The night may have started as a nightmare, but he would make sure that the rest of Kagome's life was a dream.
ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Author's Notes: This song always struck me as a little creepy. Just what DID he put into her drink?
An interesting side note for those who wonder about the title. In the song, the woman's voice is the "mouse" and the man's voice is the "wolf". When I read that, I KNEW I had to write this story.
It was difficult keeping the only actual spoken words be the words of the song, especially towards the end. I debated breaking it into two sections, but in the end went with the original idea of just using the words from the song.