Hello again everyone. Thank you to all who voted in the poll. ^_^ It'll be closed by the time this chapter is posted. I appreciate the input. Also thank you to all who reviewed!

Anyway enough stalling, here is chapter eleven!

Disclaimer: T.T Didn't I just say that was enough stalling? I DON'T OWN THE SHOW.

~Chapter 11~

Kagome walked into her front door and closed it gently behind her. She had a dreamy smile on her lips and felt a flutter as it danced away in the core of her stomach.

"Young lady, you hardly know the man, and you're kissing him on the very first date?" her mother gasped, ruining Kagome's blissful moment.

"Mom…it's the twenty-first century. It's not like I'm sleeping with him yet," she said, adding the last bit for her own amusement to watch her mother's reaction.

"What? Kagome, this is not the behavior you should be displaying! I don't want my daughter becoming some STD-ridden teen!" she reprimanded. She just didn't understand what to do with her daughter at this point. She had seemed so different over the past few weeks.

"Mom, chill; I was just kidding about the last part… Wait, no—that doesn't sound right. I only said the last part to see how much you'd overreact," Kagome explained with a subtle roll of her eyes, unable to comprehend why her mother was so freaked about her having a date and kissing someone.

'Maybe she wants me to be a nun,' Kagome mused to herself, almost wanting to laugh, but refraining as to not upset her mother any further. She didn't feel like listening to a long, nagging speech or getting in trouble because her mother thought she was mocking her and laughing in her face.

"You're starting to show some very bad characteristics, Kagome. And I want to see an end to it," she scolded once more before walking away from her daughter and disappearing to the upstairs.

Kagome rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, her fingers stroking through the soft tresses. She wasn't going to let her mother completely take away the "afterglow". The brunette bit her lower lip, one of her many mindless habits, in thought.

Making her way upstairs, she walked into her bedroom and shut her door behind her lightly before flopping down on her bed, not bothering to remove her dress.

Her eyes closed as she suddenly felt tired; her mind wandered in her lulled state. Tonight was one of the times she had gotten a chance to have a normal conversation with someone other than Eri, Ayumi, or Yuka. Though even those three would talk about the same things and could be superficial.

With Inuyasha, on the other hand…the conversations felt real, and he seemed truly interested in what she had to say and wouldn't judge her.

She smiled at the thought and began to wonder what they would do next. From the way the night played out, she assumed he wanted a second date with her, something that she wouldn't have minded in the slightest. The food was perfect, their chemistry was perfect, and the goodnight kiss was even perfect.

Her blush returned, remembering the kiss they shared. It had been her first open-mouth kiss and hopefully wouldn't be the last. She wanted to giggle like a young schoolgirl, but held it in.

Before she knew it, she was fast asleep in her dress as she was sprawled out on the plush sheets of her bed.

—xxxxx—

He walked down the sidewalk of his neighborhood, looking around at the surroundings. The streetlights flickering—a few broken—pieces of litter being carried down the gutters and out of alleyways.

Why did his night have to end with such depressing sights?

He heard yelling from an apartment above that had the window open. A man and a woman were in an obvious dispute. He heard a slew of curses and derogatory remarks fly from the window, followed by a loud sound that echoed down to the sidewalk. Unmistakably, the sound of a hand hitting someone's cheek.

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a second, trying to block it out. He didn't want anything to further ruin the mood he was in.

That mood being, for the first time in years, a good one… He could almost call it happiness if he didn't know any better. The steel-eyed teen smiled a bit to himself, wondering if he actually had a shot with Kagome. Wondering if all his doubts were a lie. The thought of the two of them actually being an official couple was enough to make him grin wider.

Inuyasha walked into the apartment building and headed up the stairwell leisurely. He meandered down the corridor of the complex, humming softly to himself. He stopped as he spied his door slightly ajar; his eyes narrowed, and he reached into his pocket, grabbing the switchblade he carried for protection.

Cautiously, the male inched towards the slightly parted door and he nudged it open. He didn't see anyone immediately and vigilantly stepped into the apartment.

'Maybe it was just a robbery…' he silently found himself hoping. Not wanting it to be the man he dreaded.

He shut the door behind him with a soft click. Looking around, he didn't see anything in disarray, but kept a watchful eye out for any sudden movements or anything out of place. 'Please…'

"Who's in here?" he called out demandingly.

Not hearing a response, he looked towards the small hallway inside and walked towards it. He peered down the left and the right and decided to venture towards his bedroom. He pushed open the door, looked inside of the dark room, and didn't see anyone. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head at his paranoia. He then turned around and nearly had a heart attack.

Naraku.

The older male was standing right behind him, a angry scowl plastered to his face as usual. "Where have you been?" he asked hurriedly, his eyes looking down at Inuyasha's blade which was still out.

"Naraku… I… Sorry. I didn't know you'd need me to do anything," he tried to explain, putting the blade back down and lightly dropping it in his pocket. 'Why now?' he thought in dread, hoping that his punishment wouldn't be too severe.

"Oh, really? Is that why you didn't come by to even check? I did have something for you to do, Inuyasha. In fact, I had multiple things for you to do. Now, what were you doing that was so fucking important that you blew off your own gang? That you blew off me? Huh?" Naraku questioned him, growing angrier with each passing second.

Inuyasha felt his heartbeat hasten as he watched the older male clench his fists. He didn't know how to explain his absence. He searched his mind quickly for an excuse, any excuse. "I was working on a school project," he lied through his teeth.

"Bullshit!" Naraku yelled, grabbing Inuyasha by the collar of his shirt and pulling him into the living room where they had more room. Naraku pushed him away, causing Inuyasha to stumble and stare at him, wide-eyed.

"You want to know how I know you're a fucking lying bastard?" the older male nearly growled through gritted teeth. "Because I asked you yesterday if you had any upcoming school projects—I always ask you that so I'll know when you'll be busy. And you told me no. That's right: you told me no! Now what the fuck where you doing? And don't you dare fucking lie—you don't dress the way you are for a fucking school project!" he lashed out, his hands clenched into fists.

Inuyasha already knew what was coming, and if he didn't tell the truth, it'd only be a hundred times worse. "I was with a girl…"

"A girl? A girl? You were with a fucking girl?" Naraku shouted, a vein on the side of his neck protruding in his rage. "You ditched all of us for a little bit of pussy? When did you finally grow a pair of balls to do that, huh?"

Inuyasha gulped and looked straight at the elder. "Naraku, it wasn't like that. I wasn't out having sex with her… It was just a date!"

"Oh, a date, you say? And what whore are you interested in, Inuyasha? Tell me, I'm pretty sure I and the other men have fucked her already. What's her name?" Naraku harassed.

Inuyasha felt himself grow angrier. "Shut up! She's not like that…" As soon as the first two words left his lips, he regretted it. "No… Naraku, I didn't mean that. I-I didn't mean to say shut up. It's just… I'm sorry! I'll check with you first."

Naraku's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Inuyasha…the word sorry just doesn't cut it this time—it didn't cut it last time, and it will never cut it. You've been disrespectful, and you have to pay the price. I've been generous to you! But you've abused it. So, trust me, you are going to pay. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be a pathetic piece of orphan shit that will never amount to anything!"

Inuyasha was silent; he didn't know what to say back. He could only listen while his anger boiled inside of him.

"Maybe that's the reason your father was said to have died like a little bitch, huh? He couldn't stand coming home to such a disgrace of a son. It was me, Inuyasha, who brought you into the gang. Gave you clothes, food, a place to stay, women to fuck, though you don't take advantage of that last part…and this is how you repay me?"

Inuyasha felt more than rage build inside of him from the way Naraku talked about his father, but he couldn't move—he couldn't speak. His breath was caught in his throat, and he couldn't make a sound. He didn't dare strike out at Naraku. The older male would sooner have his head put on a spike.

"Inuyasha, you're never going to be anything more than a thug, a stupid and worthless thug. You need me, and you need the gang. If you didn't have us, where would you be, huh? Nowhere. And that's where you'd stay." Naraku grinned, seeing his words work against Inuyasha as he mocked him. He kept bringing the teen down as much as he could.

Every word cut deeper into the teen. He felt his mind torn in two ways as if he was going to break down any second. He didn't know whether or not it was a feeling to scream in anger or even cry from the emotions the mention of his father brought. But he couldn't cry; he hardly ever did alone and wouldn't dare to do it front of Naraku.

It was all true—he was nothing. He would amount to nothing. He was nothing but a so-called "pussy" and a worthless thug. How he felt at that moment only proved those things to him further. He looked at Naraku, a mix of emotions on his face, but still unable to defend himself.

"Are you going to cry, Inuyasha? You're just like a fucking woman, I swear. Useless. You aren't even standing up for yourself, you're so pathetic. I bet, if I wanted to, I could tell you to get on your knees and suck a cock, no matter who it belonged to. You know what? I am also willing to bet money you'd do it. But I won't do that, and I never will. Because you're worth shit on your own," the older male darkly laughed, aiming to break the teen down mentally even further.

"It's that sad. I don't even have to humiliate you for others to see. Everyone already knows it. And everyone always will," Naraku sneered, his eyes narrowed and his fists still clenched.

Inuyasha looked down at the floor, unable to respond, let alone think anymore. He held back his emotions as much as he could. He didn't understand why he couldn't protect himself from Naraku's constant slew of hurtful and, to him, truthful words. They stabbed him like a red-hot blade that pierced his skin slowly, sinking into his heart, his stomach, his throat, and his lungs.

He knew he couldn't attack Naraku physically, but he could have at least verbally defended himself… Only thing was, he couldn't find the strength. Not knowing what words would set the man who raised him off.

He noticed as Naraku began to walk away, amazed he wasn't going to beat him. But then Inuyasha realized that the words were more than enough. He found himself wishing Naraku would have hit him repeatedly instead.

"I bet your father would be ashamed to call you his son," Naraku said, crisp and clear and with a grin for Inuyasha to hear as he walked out and slammed the door behind him.

The teen stood where he was for an unknown amount of time. Everything around him seemed to blur. He felt a single, warm tear run down his cheek, and he wiped it away in disgust. He was truly pathetic in his own eyes. His father had been gone since he was eleven. Eight years, and he was still acting like a child over it.

He looked towards his apartment door and walked over, locking it with the strength he somehow managed to muster to move. He walked back towards his room, his mind cluttered with Naraku's words. Each one replayed itself in his thoughts.

Still, despite the berating thoughts he had about himself, he felt a lump grow in his throat.

Naraku was right. His father would be ashamed. His mother, even though he never knew her, would be ashamed. He, himself, was ashamed.

Inuyasha trudged himself back to his room and sat down on his bed, staring emptily at the barren wall across from him. The teen felt void inside.

He could act as tough as he wanted to at school to make his peers leave him be. He could make the surrounding students tremble from his false intimidation. Yet when it came to the real thing with the real thugs, he wasn't nearly as tough it seemed. Sure, he could hold his ground a lot of the time, but not when it came down to the nitty-gritty.

A night that had been so perfect shortly before had come crashing down around him. His thoughts were almost too much for him to handle.

'There's nothing I can do about it.' He sighed softly, slowly piecing himself back together. If he didn't keep himself in check, he didn't know what would happen.

The teen laid back on his bed, closing his eyes, letting sleep be his escape.

Alright then…Sorry that this chapter was short! D: But I hope you enjoyed it regardless, let me know in a review please! ^_^

Until next time~ The next update will be up in a week as usual.