A/N: It has been a while since I updated this story, but I hope that most of you found it in your hearts to forgive me and maintain a level a patience that perhaps surpasses my own (at least when I'm not angry). If you have, then on with the chapter! Sorry it's late!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, nor will I ever in the near future.

In Shackles

Chapter 4: Making Amends

I knelt on my carpet in front of my closet the sun's rays a soothing warmth, as I struggled to make sense of Menomaru's simple request. I suppose I had grown so morbidly accustomed to Menomeru's forceful tactics that when he decided to try a more gentlemanly approach, it thoroughly freaked me out. His original tactic of blatant force was easy to combat, but when it came to all things associated with romance, I would be dancing in his palm and melting his arms as he took me before the night was through. Part of me wondered if he was doing this to be polite and make up for the hurt he had caused me just the other night. But then again, I wasn't all too sure that his sudden change of mood wasn't just another ploy to ensnare me in his web of power, so he can use me as a tool to further him through his ambitious rise to power.

Surprisingly, the thought of Menomaru using me sent a piercing pang of anguish through me. When my vision began to blur perceptibly, I came realize that tears had begun materializing in my eyes and streaming down my face in warm rivulets. I carelessly brushed them away, but that did nothing to cease the flow of my tears. Biting my lip fiercely, to suppress a cry of outright fury from spilling from my lips, I lurched to my feet unsteadily and dumped Menomaru's note in my trashcan beside my desk. With a newfound placidity, I marched over to my closet and snatched the dress from its hanger, sending the hook-shaped plastic to the floor, before I stalked over to my trashcan once again.

Without a second thought, I allowed the silky fabric to slide sinuously through my fingers and pool in the trashcan noiselessly. Good thing the fashion police wasn't here to see this; they would have shot me dead and mourned the loss of such a stylishly wicked dress. I had to admit that I did feel a tad guilty at having to dispose of such an obviously expensive dress, but I had no time, nor did I have the energy to explain to my family why I had a built a bonfire in front of the house. Pushing aside my guilt-ridden thoughts, I reminded myself that Menomaru and I were not an item and that there was no way I was going to wear such a suggestive, slinky black dress that he had hand-picked himself. I'd wear it for someone else, but not for Menomaru; most assuredly not for him.

After successfully ridding my mind of all thoughts of Menomaru and his request for a date tonight, I hopped in my shower for ten minutes, hastily threw on some clothes for work, jetted down the stairs for a quick bite to eat and then I was out the door and bounding down the stairs of the shrine to my car. Before long, I arrived at the hospital for another day of work and was surprised to find that everything had returned to normal. Everyone greeted me as though they hadn't known I disappeared with a strange man before my shift was over. Well, perhaps that was because everyone in the Maternity wing had vanished and were nowhere to be found at the time Menomaru had shown up. Though I had to wonder if the cameras had picked up my disappearance. Surely it was possible considering there were cameras everywhere, including the room Menomaru had dragged me into. I forced myself not remember the delightful feel of his body pressed so closely to mine as I took a seat behind the receptionist's desk. Giving my temples a vigorous rub to rid my mind of thoughts of Menomaru all together, I focused on the work I had ahead of me.

All throughout the day, I kept expecting my boss to show up at my desk to request a private meeting with me where he would confront me about my encounter with Menomaru and my sudden disappearance. I tortured myself all day with anguishing scenarios as I fumbled with an explanation. Though my explanations varied from scenario to scenario, one thing that never changed was the outcome. My boss was always so infuriated by my feeble attempt to explain the impossible that he would dismiss me permanently. I often found myself tensing up as shadow upon shadow descended upon me at my desk, and I looked up each time relieved to find only visitors waiting to sign in and be directed to their respective wings for visiting hours.

My heart leapt in my throat when a man approached my desk while I was caught up in another heart-wrenching scene, which ultimately ended in me losing my job.

"Excuse me," he said and I visibly jumped in my seat. The rumbling cadence of his voice sounded so strikingly similar to my boss', that it nearly made me leap out if my skin.

"Y-yes," I faltered, an involuntary squeak escaping me. I cleared my throat and with forced bravado and looked up into the unknown man's eyes. "How may I help?"

I could feel his eyes studying me intently, probably trying to understand my reaction to his presence. "Yes. Can you please direct me to the Children's wing?"

His request reminded me fiercely of Menomaru's from the day before and I began to wonder if perhaps this was his new human form. I gave the man before me a quizzical look, examining his features with a critical eye. He appearance was that of an out-of-shape athlete. He had a doughy middle starting to show through his shirt and I could see wrinkles beginning to form around his mouth and eyes, which put him around his late thirties to early forties. This gave me the assurance I needed to believe that this man before me was not Menomaru in disguise; Menomeru pegged me a the young, show-off type that enjoyed the effect he had on women, so masking himself in such a manner was not what I expected from him and was surely not what he would go for. I didn't realize I had been staring so intently until I heard the man's voice again, shattering my train of thought.

"Yes . . ." I mumbled as I tried to orient myself and dredge my conscious mind back into reality.

"Um . . . are you all right miss," he repeated politely with worry etched into the deep wrinkles of his forehead.

I gave him a sweet, reassuring smile that put his wariness at ease. "I'm fine," I said at last as I pushed away from desk and skirted around it so that I was standing face to face with him. "It's just been a long day, that's all."

He couldn't help returning my bright, airy demeanor with a genuine smile of his own, before I obligingly led him down the hospital corridors to the staircase that led up to the Children's wing. After that, I found myself sliding into a comfortable easiness that permeated every cell in my body—a weight lifting from my shoulders that I hadn't realized had been there. Once my shift was over, I flitted over to the closet where my coat was hung, my spirits incredibly high as I slid on its suede comfort, that is, until I saw the weather outside. Clouds hung overhead in a dark, menacing manner, threatening the inevitable fall of rain. I sure picked a swell day to wear suede.

I was pleased to find that it hadn't started raining yet, but I knew if I didn't hurry, I would be caught in a maelstrom of whipping winds and icy rain. I scurried over to my car and wrenched the door open as soon I unlocked its locks, before I slammed the door in my wake and jammed the key into the ignition. I pulled out of my parking space in a blind hurry to escape the threat of rain, and shot down the street towards home. As I drove along, I could hear the roil of thunder overhead and see the accompanying flash of lightning as Mother Nature eagerly prepared for the torrential downpour of rain upon the Earth. I was relieved when at last I pulled up in front of the shrine and I anxiously scampered up the steps as another crack of thunder went off over my head, making my eardrums ring with its non-idle threat.

I entered my house and shut the door tightly behind me before removing my shoes languidly and shuffling into the kitchen. I found my Mom bustling about the kitchen, preparing dinner as usual and I just took a seat at the kitchen table, resting my cheek numbly against the cool, marble surface. My mother turned to face me when she heard me flop into the chair.

"Welcome home Kagome. How was work?"

I sighed heavily, my thoughts going to the change of weather and how it had put a damper on the high sprits that had ignited in me when at last the day ended without me getting fired. "Normal," I mumbled as I lifted my face off the table and rested my chin on my hands heavily.

"That's good to hear, though you seem a little tired Kagome. Why don't you go lay down for a little while and I'll call you down when dinner's ready."

"No . . . it's all right. I'll stay down here with you and help with dinner," I said as I forced my weary body out of the kitchen chair and planted myself in front of the sink to do some dishes. Besides, I'll be safe from Menomaru for a time if I stay down here where my family can see, I thought as I squirted some sweet smelling dish detergent on a sponge and began to scrub one of the pans in the sink vigorously.

Halfway through the pile of dishes that I had began washing, I heard a gasp escape my Mom from across the kitchen and I rushed to her side, unadulterated anxiety marring my brows. "What's wrong Mom?"

She turned to me and said, "I'm missing a few ingredients for tonight's dinner."

I breathed a heavy sigh at this and placed my hand on her shoulder lightly before I offered, "Would you like me to go to the supermarket for you and get what you need?"

"That would be wonderful dear. Let me just check to see what else I need and write a list for you," she said as she began to rifle through the cabinets meticulously.

Within minutes she had a list written up and soon I was off—list in hand as well as an umbrella—to the supermarket. All I had to pick up were some eggs, a head of lettuce, tomatoes and breadcrumbs and I would be done; a simple in and out job. Or at least I hoped that this would be the case as I listened to the restless roll of thunder outside my car. With no parking available in front of the supermarket, I had to settle for two blocks down road and across the street. I sprinted in a mad dash to beat the oncoming rain, which at the moment was threatening to fall at any moment.

I made it inside the bright florescence of the supermarket just as another eruption of thunder went off in the sky. In and out, I told myself as I glided down the aisles, bundling what I could carry in my arms and dumping the rest in the basket. When at last I had gathered all that I needed, I stood on line behind three other people plus another who was currently fussing with the cashier. From what I could hear, she was complaining about a sale that had ended earlier today and was upset that the item she wanted to purchase was back to regular price. Unconsciously, I started to tap my foot and shifted my weight from foot to foot anxiously as I waited for my turn at the register.

Just when I was about to go insane with impatience, it was my turn at the register. The cashier cautiously bagged the tomatoes and the head of lettuce I had picked up and I almost tore out my hair trying to prevent myself from telling him to hurry up. At last he rung me up with a smile of satisfaction and I thrust a ten in his hand. He then proceeded to fumble with getting the cash draw open and I nearly screamed in agony. I just wanted to get out of there, and beat the rain going home, but fate seemed to be against me this time. Why, oh why, I pleaded in the back of my mind as the cashier finally handed over my change. Giving him a half-hearted smile, I gathered the plastic handles of each grocery bag in one hand and practically ran to the automatic sliding doors, my umbrella in my free hand.

I stepped outside, pleased to find that the rain had yet to fall, but my spark of ease was washed away when an explosion of thunder racked the Earth and rain drops began their relentless patter against the once dry sidewalk. I groaned inwardly and struggled to get my umbrella open with one hand, before I took a deep breath and stepped out from underneath the supermarket's awning. I splashed through puddles in my mad dash across the supermarket's parking lot to get to my car, which was still two blocks from here, huddling underneath the faux protection of my umbrella. The winds began to pick up and I had to struggle to hold my umbrella to me, but it was no use. The wind blew it inside out and before I could pull it back into its proper form, the mechanism itself snapped off, leaving me with just the handle.

Rainwater drenched me almost immediately afterwards, seeming to taking advantage of the fact that I was now unprotected from the elements. With rainwater soaking me through and drops of it sluicing off the grocery bags, I tossed my now useless umbrella in the nearby trashcan and began sprinting for my car. After covering the first block, I decided to cross the street so that I would be on the same side as my car, scurrying along the crosswalk as rain pelted me like relentless fists. To avoid a puddle, I leapt the last few feet to the safety of the sidewalk over a storm drain, and as a result, my keys were jarred from my pocket, spiraling downward and into the murky waters of the sewer.

I muttered a few choice words upon this new development and when I thought to call home, I realized that I had left my cell phone in my car to charge. I felt like such an idiot as I muttered to the stormy gray sky, "Why me?"

Spotting an awning that happened to extend over into an alley, I scuttled over to the protective cover it provided, in a hope that the rain would eventually slow enough for me to make it to my car without getting soaked through any more than I already had. I leaned my back against the brick wall comfortably, listening to the any telltale signs that would reveal to me that the rain had either stopped or slowed significantly. My eyes followed the trail of raindrops as they cascaded over my temporary shelter like a waterfall and I was content to simply have the distant pattering of the rain lull me into a quiet ease. That is, of course, until I heard a voice echo out to me from the entrance of the alleyway.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's dangerous to wander down dark alleyways," the voice intoned.

I jolted upright, pushing away from the support of the brick wall to see who had discovered my hiding place. I watched as a silhouette formed at the mouth of the alley before I came to realize, in horror, that it was Menomaru.

"You . . .what are you doing here," I hissed as he began to approach me. "What do you want?"

He seemed unfazed by my harsh words, but as water cascaded over his stoic features, I could see the hurt burning within the depths of eyes. He stepped under the awning with me and suddenly I began to feel so terribly cramped like the awning was entirely too small to shelter two people. Perhaps it was the fact that Menomeru was now standing face to face with me, so close that a slight inhalation could have us touching in intimate ways. I didn't want to touch him, so I did my best to hold my breath.

"Please forgive me," he said, reaching out a hand to brush my cheek. I jerked away, letting out my breath in a dangerous sound that said back off. His hand remained suspended before me for a moment, before he dropped it to his side limply.

"Why should I forgive you? You reminded me of such horridly painful memories and you expect to smooth it all over with your apologies? I don't think so."

He made a move to interject, but I held up a hand. "You don't deserve my forgiveness. Now just leave me alone!" I turned my gaze away from his, as I tried to ignore his presence despite the heat that I was aware was coursing between us.

"Besides," I continued with a pout, "I'm having some really bad luck right now."

The shift of his body drew my attention to him and I found him staring at me with a look of chagrin. "Well . . . not all of your bad luck can be attributed solely to you," he said, dropping my gaze for a moment before finding it again.

Instead of explaining his statement to me like I expected he would, he made a rapid gesture and before I could blink my eyes, my keys were sailing through the air towards us. He reached for my free hand and the keys descended neatly into my palm. For a while I just stood there in shock, staring at my keys, which Menomaru had recovered for me. That's when the meaning of his words dawned on me. I unconsciously clenched my fist around my keys, trying very hard to suppress my anger as I voiced my suspicions.

"So you mean to tell me that you were responsible my keys taking a dip in sewer water? And what about my umbrella? Did you screw with that too?" My voice had climbed an octave higher than normal and at this point, I was just a hair away from screaming at him. When he made no effort to deny my accusations, the anger began to rise in a burning swell of pent up emotion. "You . . ." I hissed. "You unbelievably, manipulative piece of . . ."

Before I could finish my statement, his lips descended upon my own engulfing me in the heat of his passion. I melted against him unrelentingly as his clever kiss tactfully drove away the heated inferno of my anger. My hands grew limp at my sides, my keys and the grocery bags sliding easily from my grasp. A moan escaped me when Menomaru forced a hand between the brick wall and the small of my back and in response to his touch I slid my arms up his chest before resting them on his shoulders and occupying my fingers with stroking his turquoise tresses and the base of his scalp.

A groan erupted from deep within him before he brought both his hands to my hips and drew our lower bodies closer together. I could already feel his hard ache pressed against my abdomen suggestively and my body throbbed pleasantly in response, sending fluttering warmth down into my womb. When at last he pulled away, I could see the lust lying unchecked within the darkened depths of his eyes and I knew that the same darkness was now swelling in my own eyes as well. My breath came in staccato gasps of air as I leaned my head against the rough-textured coolness of the brick wall. He leaned his forehead against mine, his breath beating against my swollen lips and flushed face in labored pants and all I could think about was kissing him again.

"Let me make it up to you," he said at last, brushing a hand against my cheek. "Join me for dinner tonight."

Still feeling a bit disoriented, I had to take some time to rectify the conglomerate of thoughts racing through my mind. "I can't," I said as my head began to clear.

"Then spend the night with me at my hotel and we'll go from there."

Unable to resist the promise his eyes held, I found myself unrelentingly giving in to his wishes. "O-Okay . . ." I whispered in an airy tone.

Bringing his face upward, he pressed his lips to my forehead solidly and within minutes a swirl of power—his power—coursed through me. Without looking, I knew that we were at my house and I pulled away from him, keys in one hand and grocery bag handles in the other, much like before. I then stalked over to the front door and slid it open, calling out a welcome to my Mom. I placed the grocery bags on the table and approached her.

"Oh Kagome! You're all wet. Are you all right dear," she asked me once she took in my sopping wet appearance.

I simply nodded before I said, "My umbrella fell apart on me again as I was walking to my car and so I got wet, but I'm okay." She smiled at me warmly and I smiled back with just as much radiant warmth, then I added, "I'll be staying at Yumi's tonight, so please save me plate of dinner." I was surprised at how easily I could lie to my Mother, but that didn't mean I was proud of it.

"Of course dear. Just be careful driving over there, okay?"

"All right Mom," I said as I bounded up the stairs to my room and began packing some clothes for my night with Menomaru as well as the bare necessities, like my hair dryer for one thing, my toothbrush and my shampoo.

Once I was satisfied with what I had packed I barreled down the stairs with hardly suppressed enthusiasm leaking from my every pore. I kissed my Mom goodbye and slid the door open, fearlessly entering the spiraling onslaught of raindrops, even as thunder went off with ground trembling threats. I found Menomaru perched underneath the Sacred Tree and my heart leapt in my chest as I was suddenly reminded of how he looked the night he first called to me. My body began to ache longingly as I thought about what he had done to me and I slowed my pace as I neared him, images of three nights ago coming back full-force.

I watched a satisfied grin stretch his sensuous lips wide and I nearly ran to him, wanting nothing more than to wrap my body about him in sweet abandon. He reached for me once I was within touching distance and pulled me hard against his body, sending my heart into overdrive as it stuttered in my chest and tried to slow its rhythm. His lips found mine in an aggressive press of lips and then we were gone in a tingling rush of power.

A/N: All right! That's chapter five! I hoped you enjoyed it! I know, I know . . . there was no lemon, but I assure I'll make up for it in either the chapter to follow or the chapter after that. You can just consider this a filler chapter. The real one is on its way! Please read and review!

Silver Moon Vampiress

FYI: I've started a rewrite of this story. It's called Searching for Love, Sleeping with Danger. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

Silver Moon Vampiress