So summer's gotten way busy, so my updates aren't going to come as regularly.
Anyways, here's chapter 10. (:

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Read and review.

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Chapter Ten
Relocating, Again

Two weeks with no word from anyone- no calls, no letters, no signals, no news. The TV news was even more unhelpful, as the unsuspecting innocents of Japan heard no word of the war brewing amongst the biggest gangs in Tokyo. For once, it was almost as if Sesshomaru and Koga's groups were working for the good of people, trying to keep everything from collapsing instead of making it collapse. Stopping the killing instead of killing, stopping the stealing instead of stealing, the whole deal.

Kagome might not have minded all this if it weren't for her housemate. She was saving the people by keeping out of everything, by just disappearing. She was keeping the jewel safe, and in turn keeping everyone else safe. But Inuyasha…ever since they had left and given no word, even since he had heard about the jewel, he had been moody. He had stayed in his room, coming out only to eat. He treated her like shit.

It was seriously irritating and rude. She had surprised herself for maybe beginning to fall for him, and now she regretted any ounce of like for him she had. Two weeks of stony silences, rude glares, doors slamming in your face, cleaning up after a very messy person, and being alone with a seething Hanyou in the other room could do that to a person.

Sighing, Kagome threw more clothes into the laundry. She had not even bothered with asking Inuyasha's for his- he could do his when he wanted to, which obviously wasn't when she was around. In fact, she had gotten so used to being alone she did not even bothering dressing decently- she dressed like any girl would when lounging around her house, not bothered by anyone. Comfortable, short-short black cloth shorts she had found in Myoga's daughter's room- she was thirty-one now, Kagome didn't think she would mind- and a white spaghetti strap, which showed a strip of her midriff. It seemed that Myoga's daughter had inherited her father's height, or lack thereof.

Turning on the washer, Kagome grabbed her bowl of popcorn and went and fell on the couch, watching Megane, a movie she had already seen and adored- a usual point in her routine. Movies, cleaning, laundry, arranging things, Myoga's limited music tastes. She was going in a circle.

Naturally, she was scared when she heard a noise- Inuyasha's door; she was so used to the creaking of it echoing at night she knew it by heart. But why was he coming out? Was it him?

Isolation was giving her an ever-increasing bout of paranoia.

Getting up on her knees, Kagome's mouth froze mid-chew as she waited, padded footsteps coming down the hall. Then a silver-haired male appeared and she sighed in relief, falling back against the hard couch.

"Keh. What the hell are you scared of, wench?" Inuyasha demanded, getting out a bag of chips from the cupboard. "You know I'm the only one here."

"Oh, so you're talking now, are you?" Kagome asked irritably. "I wasn't aware. Nor was I aware that you were actually here, you never make yourself known. For all I know you could be dead."

"Nah, you'd know. Dead people smell." He allowed himself a ghost of a grin as she snorted. "And I wouldn't just leave you alone, stupid." He came over to sit on the couch, and she moved over to make room for him. Myoga needed only a loveseat, small even for a two-seater. Curling up, she offered him the popcorn bowl, something he took without hesitation. Food seemed key in every minute of his life.

"Can't we watch something more…entertaining?" he complained after about ten minutes and five handfuls of popcorn.

"He has three channels and fourteen movies," she replied, gesturing to the newly organized and limited collection. "Most of them old flicks no one has heard of or ones that aren't all action, much like this one."

"Damn."

"You're telling me. I've watched all of them three times."

Inuyasha snorted and made himself more comfortable, leaning back against the couch. He wanted to stretch out but Kagome was there- his bed was extremely uncomfortable even if he had been able to sleep in the first place. Thinking had seemed to wake him up every five minutes; he had not slept soundly in the two weeks they had been here.

Yawning, he placed the empty popcorn bowl on the floor and looked up, meeting Kagome's eyes as she watched him.

"As much time as you spend in your room, I'm surprised you're tired," Kagome said lightly.

"Hah," Inuyasha snorted, rubbing his face. "I haven't slept right in days. The beds uncomfortable, and this isn't much better."

Kagome looked at him, and then shrugged. "You've slept with me before, without…you know..."

"…Great observation, I'm glad you aren't stupid."

"Lay down," she said, perching on the side of the couch. He froze, unsure of what to do. Sure he had lain with her before, but she had only gotten so close because she moved towards him. And she had been asleep, which made the difference. But to stretch out on something more comfortable than his bed- and Kagome wasn't uncomfortable herself, either.

Making a sound he hoped sounded irritated, he laid down, freezing as she laid down right beside him. He could smell her perfectly, with her hair touching his nose; almost instinctively, he wrapped a hand around her waist and drew her closer, his fingers gently tracing the small strip of stomach that peeked through. It was Kagome's turn to freeze- she was not used to being held so closely, so…intimately?

No, he was just tired. Surely that was it.

Kagome focused on the movie, not on the fingers rested on her skin or the warmth at her back. Soon enough, though, Inuyasha's breath came even in a comforting rhythm- she found herself being lulled to sleep, curling into the warmth.

--

Inuyasha awoke with his arm still around Kagome's waist- the only difference was that he was on his back, Kagome halfway across his chest, her arm draped over his own waist. It despised himself for finding it so comfortable.

Using his free arm, he stretched up, careful not to jostle the sleeping girl. Relaxing again, he studied her face- it was so content, so innocent. He was already befouling her innocence; he didn't need to fall in love with her, too. She was just so easy to trust- as if he knew that she would die before betraying his confidence. And she made an effort to actually talk to him; the first week, she never stopped trying to draw him out of his room.

He looked over her head at the clock, surprised to find it was almost nine the next morning. They had slept like this for fourteen hours, soundless and restful. The back of his mind screamed that it was because of her he slept so well, but he pushed that thought from his mind.

He looked back down at her as she stirred, turning her head as she stretched her arms. "Inuyasha?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"What?"

"Did you sleep okay?" Concerned with the welfare of others, as usual.

He nodded as she settled down again, still resting across his chest. "Yeah."

"Good."

The silence wasn't awkward, just quiet. Finally an obnoxious clock on the wall made them move, Kagome slowly sitting up first and stretching her own arms. "Hopefully we'll get news today…It's been two weeks. You don't think that anything is wrong, do you?"

Inuyasha shrugged, heading towards the small kitchen. "I doubt it. If anything had happened to Miroku or Sango, even the news would know by now…As for the old woman and Myoga, they probably haven't found anything yet. That's a long line to trace."

Kagome nodded and watched him for a moment, his movements of grabbing cereal and ruffling his silver hair. He was very attractive, and when he let his guard down, she found it easy for her to fall for him. Last night didn't help, considering they had both been very comfortable; both had actually slept, which was saying a lot.

But she couldn't be with him, not after all this was over. She didn't like his way of life- she hated it. He wouldn't change it, either, she knew that. So it couldn't work. She was getting closer to him when she knew that eventually, they would just be ripped apart.

"I'm going to get in the shower," Kagome said, going down the hallway.

--

Shaking her hair out, Kagome walked down the hall- Inuyasha was on the phone, she could hear him talking. Going into the kitchen, she leaned against the counter and ran her fingers through her hair slowly as Inuyasha spoke, his back to her.

"Disappeared? What the fuck do you mean, disappeared?" A pause- she could hear a male's voice speaking on the other end, but not clear enough to tell who it was. "Yeah, alright. I don't know…" He glanced at Kagome over his shoulder, studying her face. "It's a risk." He paused again and sighed, turning around and rubbing his face. "No, no word yet. Kaede said she'd call when they found something, so." He nodded and looked at Kagome again, who had moved to stand next to him. "See you." Hanging up, he didn't need to be asked for an explanation by the imploring look on her face.

"Naraku's disappeared. Just…gone. For a week and a half now. No one has seen activity from anyone that has been related to him, his headquarters are all cleared out. No one has heard from Kaede or Myoga, so we don't know what's up with them," Inuyasha said, putting the phone back on the base. "Miroku thinks that we should go somewhere they know so Naraku will come back out. Even Sesshomaru thinks that is why Naraku is gone. He's waiting, and he's pissed he can't find the jewel."

"He knows we have it." Kagome stared at him, fear riddling her brain slightly.

"Seems there was a snitch at the bank." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles. "Get packed, we leave in five minutes."

"We are going back to the city?" Kagome demanded, her heart skipping a beat. "That's suicide!"

Inuyasha made a face at her, grabbing the plastic bags they had saved and shoving food in them. "No. We are going back to the country house so he gets a glimpse of us. He won't attack yet."

"Why?"

"He wants us to feel safe, secured. My guess is that he will stay down for another two weeks or so, let us get our guard down."

"Oh."

"Now move, wench."

--

She was curled on the couch when he came out of the shower- he could tell by her expression she was tired of jumping from place to place. She was tired of all this running, but she knew that she couldn't stop. If she went back her life, Naraku would find some way to get her alone. Inuyasha couldn't be by her side twenty-four seven if they had regular lives to attend to; they both had jobs, friends, lives. It would be impossible to keep the jewel from his hands.

Inuyasha fell down on the couch beside her, coaxing a smile from her when she saw the disarrayed wet strands all over the place. "Do you ever brush your hair?" she asked, a brow lifted.

He just grunted in reply, turning on the TV. "Takes to much time."

"Your hair is so pretty, though. You should take care of it."

"I use detangler conditioner or whatever that shit is called," he replied nonchalantly, sparing her a small glance. "It's fine."

She paused for a moment, staring at him- he pretended not to notice. "Can I brush it?"

"What?"

"Can I brush your hair?" she asked again, slowly. She wanted to feel how soft it was, and his ears…

"No." He ignored her as she came closer, pleading in her eyes. He could never resist the pleading, it was better not to look.

"Please? I'm so bored and I don't want to watch TV, and..." She trailed off, nothing more to list.

"Fine! Just shut up so I can watch TV. God damn."

Kagome smiled and jumped off, following the hallway into the bathroom.

In there, a man was waiting for her- he had a small pout on his face, and purple triangles leading from his eyes. "I always get sent to do the dirty work, you know that?" he asked, his voice light. "I hate touching girls."

Kagome opened her mouth to scream just before she was cut off, his hand over his mouth- and a steel-man thing burst through the wall so they would have a way to escape.

Inuyasha's ears twitched when he heard the beginning of Kagome's scream, and he was already at the bathroom when the metal thing crashed through the wall. Damn it, he had been wrong- obviously, Naraku didn't need them to have a break.

"You fucking let go of her, you bastard," Inuyasha snarled, jumping after the smaller man as he dashed through the hole in the wall.

The man laughed, depositing Kagome on the ground by a tree. "Of course," he said, smiling and winking at Inuyasha. "I'll let Ginkotsu take care of her while I deal with you, pretty boy."

"Fuck you," Inuyasha snapped. "And if you don't mind, neither of you will be taking her." He jumped towards Kagome, who cowered against the tree as the metal monster came at her. The other one laughed, slinging something towards the Hanyou and making something hard and bright crash into his sides, sending him sprawling.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed his name, wanting him to get up- but when he moved, the man just slashed out at him again, laughing as her half-demon fell to the floor again, his back slashed in pieces. She looked at the moving metal coming towards her and jumped to her feet, dashing towards the trees- she just prayed that the metal thing couldn't move fast because of his size and bulk, or she was screwed.