D A N D E L I O N
A/N: Welcome! This is an A(lternate)U(niverse) Inuyasha based fanfiction. As I am sure you, my clever reader, might have guessed- I own absolutely nothing. There is not a single thing that I own. BUT, I am looking for a beta-reader who would be interested in editing future installments of this story before I upload them. If you think you might be interested let me know in a review (along with an e-mail address so I can contact you in order to discuss it further). Prior experience isn't exactly essential… but hopefully you'll have some sense of grammar and story-telling. Anyway, without further ado…
Chapter One
Kagome shrugged out of her oversized t-shirt and tentatively dipped her big toe into the bath water, steam rising from the heat and fogging her reading glasses. Satisfied with the temperature she hunkered down into the claw foot tub- the one necessity of her new apartment- and began flipping through the well worn pages of a "Martha Stewart" magazine. Looking from the beautiful rooms illustrated and her own was a stark contrast… the mustard yellow paint that the original owners had chosen, potentially on a dare, peeled from the walls and faded to a dusty grey at the floor boards. On top of the unfortunate color scheme was an ominous swell of water damage that threatened to cover the entire ceiling. Kagome, a self declared "interior designer", deemed the apartment a "fixer-upper" and put down an offer immediately despite the contrary suggestions of her friends and family.
"Pink?" Kagome mused to herself, holding a coral paint chip to the wall and squinting, trying to imagine what it would look like. "Nah, too loud."
Kagome tossed the magazine to the floor and dunked her head under water, furiously scrubbing shampoo into her long chocolate tresses.
"It doesn't seem to matter how much I bathe, I still feel so… dirty. I definitely need to scour this place before it is really livable," she leaned against the back of the tub and closed her eyes, allowing the tension from the move to leave her muscles for the first time.
A knock sounded at the bathroom door, causing Kagome to wake from her tired stupor and wrap a fluffy white towel around her body before her mother entered.
"Kagome? Darling?" her mother felt into the bathroom- one hand politely clasped over her eyes. "Are you decent?"
"I am as decent as I am about to get," Kagome laughed and checked the security of the towel over her bust, not wanting to be made a liar by gravity.
"Your brother and I have to get going, I'm afraid. The ride back to Tokyo isn't exactly short and it is starting to get dark…"
"Say no more, mom. I completely understand, thank you again… for everything. Moving would have been absolutely impossible without you and Souta, believe me."
"What else is family for?" Kagome's mother mumbled, distracted by an unusually large dust bunny. "You are sure this is what you want to do?" She looked around the room with skepticism.
"100% positive. You'll see, it is going to be great!"
"Well… you know our number, of course. Call if you ever need anything," she grasped Kagome's hands for emphasis, staring into her startled eyes imploringly.
"I am going to be fine mom! Now, get going or you are going to be stuck driving all night!" Kagome ushered her to the door before leaving a fleeting kiss on her cheek. "I promise you, I will call every night and give you updates."
"Good luck, sweetie!" Kagome's mother embraced her before pulling a bemused Souta toward the elevators, leaving her standing alone in the doorway and waving frantically goodbye.
Kagome closed the door softly, sliding the deadbolt into place and turning the lock. She waited a moment, amazed by how quiet it had become. The drip of the faulty tap in the bathroom was rhythmic- blip, blip, blip- and lulling. Kagome walked slowly to the window, pulling back the heavy velvet drapes and looked over the skyline. Only then did it dawn on her just how alone she was in this city.
-
Kagome pitched forward in her makeshift bed- trembling violently as sweat cooled on her skin. She stared blindly into the darkness, unable to comprehend exactly where she was. She reached outward to where her beside lamp would typically be but instead was met by emptiness. She waited a moment, hands still outstretched, remembering slowly that she wasn't in her childhood room anymore and that she had been too exhausted the night previous to fully unpack her new bedroom and thus there was no light to be had.
"What the fuck was I thinking?" Kagome cursed herself, holding her head and throwing herself back down into her familiarly scented pillows. She laid completely still until her eyes had adjusted to the room and she could make out the window, thrown open carelessly and letting in the wind and the sound of the night life.
Kagome pulled herself out of bed and tugged the stiff window closed. She struggled with the lock momentarily before forfeiting the fight. She rubbed her eyes drowsily, unable to fully recall the dream that had sent her lurching out of her much needed sleep.
She stumbled into the kitchen where she began rooting through various boxes- hoping to find her coffee maker. Somewhere between waking up and getting up she decided that attempting sleep was futile and her time would be better spent preparing for a long night of unpacking. For a task that daunting she would require caffeine- lots of it.
"Ah-ha!" Kagome cheered, pushing past an old, rusting kettle to reveal the coveted coffee maker. Placing it gingerly on the counter she turned her attention to the fridge that held very little in terms of food as she had not yet had a chance to do much grocery shopping. "Fuck, should have known. No cream."
Kagome liked the taste of coffee but much preferred lukewarm coffee flavored cream instead- complete only when three heaping spoons of sugar were stirred in.
Kagome contemplated her options while staring at the fridge that was empty apart from a bottle of catsup and a few packs of soya sauce that she had kept from takeout. She checked the time, 2:42 am, and sighed and moved toward her suitcase, the contents of which were strewn across the living room floor. She pulled a pair of dark wash jeans from the wreckage. "Guess this will be my first night on the town…"
-
Inuyasha traced soft circles on the spine of the black-haired beauty who laid in bed beside him, admiring her tanned skin. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling the scent of femininity- some flowery shampoo and an unidentifiable perfume- before playfully capturing her earlobe between his teeth. She groaned quietly and rolled toward him, frowning slightly.
"Aren't you tired? It is nearly 3 am!" she mumbled, swatting away his hands.
"I can't sleep," Inuyasha grinned, teeth glinting in the darkness of their shared bedroom. "Since when did you start turning in early, Kikyo?"
"Since you started doing such a good job of tiring me out," she sighed and closed her eyes, her long eyelashes sweeping across her cheeks. "Don't tell me you want another round."
"You know I am always ready," Inuyasha began tickling the bare skin of her stomach as she jerked away from his touch, squealing and panting with laughter.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, stop! You know I- you know I can't take it!" she grabbed his hands and held them away from her body, still breathless. "If you really can't sleep why don't you do me a favour?"
"What kind of favour?" he wiggled an eyebrow seductively, his face mere inches away from her own. "Shall I go fetch us some massage oil? Chocolate body paint?"
"Cigarettes?" Kikyo pleaded. "I am running low. Please baby?"
"Not exactly what I had in mind…" Inuyasha mumbled, getting out of bed and untangling his mused hair. "But I guess I can help you out this once."
-
Inuyasha entered the corner store and headed straight for the deserted counter, ringing the bell once to announce his presence. He knew the establishment well and was more than familiar with the lazy night staff that spent most of their shift huddling around a tiny television set in the back, most likely watching porn.
"Be out in a minute!" a disembodied voice yelled. Inuyasha sighed and propped his elbow up on the counter, holding his head in his hands. He wearily peered down the aisles, all of which were empty apart from a girl who appeared to be torn between organic cream and non-organic cream.
"This one is slightly cheaper… but… can you really put a price on health?" he heard her mumble to herself. "Then again, it is unusually expensive…"
"Actually, I heard that organic products are really just a scam started by the food industry in order to justify overpricing the usual bullshit," he called back to her, amused.
The girl whirled toward him, dropping one of the cartons in the process, and stared at him with unusually large blue eyes. She parted her lips, which he noticed were swollen from worrying, as if to say something. Instead she stood gaping at him with confusion and what looked to be interest.
"Your hair!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Is it… white?"
Inuyasha turned away, reaching over the counter and grabbing a pack of Players cigarettes himself before throwing down a couple thousand yen.
"Silver, actually," the girl tentatively approached the counter, stopping in front of him to peer at him more closely. Inuyasha blinked at her, slightly startled. Rarely did anyone show this degree of interest in his hair, of all things.
"Oh my god, and your eyes!" she stretched on her tippy toes, bringing her face closer to his. "Say, are you… you don't happen to be a… demon, do you?" Inuyasha could feel her breath caress his cheeks as she reached slowly toward his hair.
Inuyasha now openly stared at her- alarmed by her brashness as well as her appearance. Never had he seen a girl who looked like she did wandering around by herself in the middle of the night. Nor had he ever been accosted by a girl, any girl, in a dirty little corner store.
"Well… half, but-…"
"A hanyou! I should have guessed!" She shrieked with delight and began rifling through her purse.
A part of him felt as if he should take this opportunity to run- this bitch was surely crazy- but he was transfixed by her contagious enthusiasm. He studied her for a minute, noting her soft brown hair that reached mid back and her generous curves, before she spun toward him again.
"Here!" she pressed a business card into his palm. "I am a filmmaker and I am actually in the process of interviewing for a documentary- about human and demon relationships."
"Uh, I am not sure I am interested…"
"Please, just keep the card, alright? Maybe you will change your mind," she shook his hand vigorously before hurriedly leaving the store- clearly having forgotten all about her organic/non-organic dilemma.
Inuyasha brought the card to his face, reading 'Higurashi Kagome', before slipping it into his pocket. His hand tingled slightly from her touch, almost as if she shot a bolt of electricity through him. He wasn't completely sure what had just taken place but he could feel an erection straining against the confines of his pants.
"What the fuck is going on with me?" he grumbled, annoyed, shoving the cigarette pack into his pocket and tearing out into the night.
-
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I would have liked it to be longer… but I felt that this was a good place to end. Again, I don't own any of the characters. Also, as you may have read in my first author's note (see beginning of chapter), I am looking for a beta-reader.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think!