Ch.21 Half-Man or Human, He's Mine

I tried catching my breath as our training weapons, borrowed from Sango, clashed together. We've been at it since six o'clock in the morning. I found that Inuyasha was just as tired as I was in the human form he was forced to wear outside. But that was because his stupid self kept using demonic speed and strength outside his sutra, it was really taking a lot of energy out of him. I started to wonder if he ever went against me only with his human strength.

Inuyasha gave a small smirk, pressing harder against my training sword and getting close up to my face. "Five more minutes, still think you can win?"

I glared, "Of course."

His smirk widened as he pushed me away, making me stumble backwards and tried hitting my side. I allowed myself to fall to the grass while he strode closer for the hit and brought my feet up into his stomach to kick him over me.

"You get worse every time I fight you," I commented, quickly getting up to watch him roll and get up in a kneeling position.

"Yeah right, I'm just going easier on you," he said, keeping his gaze on me, "Your stance is pathetic."

"Your lies are pathetic," I retorted and brought my sword up to deflect his, swinging hard to knock the sword out of his hand, "As well as your grip."

"Go Kagome!" Shippo cheered in his human form from the sidelines.

"Three minutes!" Miroku called out from his spot, sitting against the wall next to Sango.

I was slightly distracted and Inuyasha took that chance to knock me off my feet. He kicked the sword out of my hand. He looked down at me in amusement as he walked around me, stopping at my feet. "Who's pathetic now? Huh?"

I hoisted myself on my elbows, trying to get the dizziness out of my system.

"No fair," Shippo crossed his arms, scowling.

"Actually, Inuyasha, Kagome won two out of three," Miroku pointed out.

"Take that," I kicked his feet out from under him, hearing his breath leave him. I yelped when he quickly rolled on his stomach and got to his knees, grabbing my ankles and dragging me closer to him.

He placed his hands on either side of my head and bent down to rest his forehead against mine. "You're just lucky you're a human girl."

I smirked, "Whatever, Inuyasha. Just admit I'm better than you."

"Time's up, Kagome," Sango said, smirking with me.

"And she's the victor!" Shippo crowed.

Inuyasha scowled as he sat up, rubbing his backbone, "I call a rematch!"

"No time," I tossed the practice sword at Sango and ran up the stairs to change my grass-stained clothes. "Maybe after school I can whoop your butt again."

"Let's try the whips again next time!" he hollered after me from his spot on the ground before I closed the door.

I only grimaced for a second at the thought of the braided leather. I brightened when I thought of all the bruises I must have given him and giggled to myself. That was what he gets for giving me a taste of heart ache last night.

The punishment wasn't over yet, I thought as I heard wood clashing again. A quick peek out the window told me that Inuyasha was going up against Sango.

After changing, I headed out with my backpack on my shoulders.

"Ow! Get off me you big oaf!"

I looked over the rail and snickered. Sango had her hands held behind her back with one of Inuyasha's hands while Inuyasha held her down with his other hand pressing between her shoulder blades.

"Fuck no," Inuyasha growled. I caught blood dripping off his cheek, "We need to set up some ground rules here."

Sango started laughing, "You complain even more than Kagome! And I've broken her bones before!"

He scowled, "You people are crazy!"

I couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up from my throat. Inuyasha looked up at me in surprise before it faded into something else. Love? I looked away and walked down the stairs. "Well, see you guys later," I smiled brightly and turned to the gates.

"Wait, Kagome! Don't you wanna ride?" Inuyasha called after me, releasing Sango.

I rolled my eyes. "I can walk, Inuyasha. Like I have been doing before I met you."

"Keh!"

I grinned wickedly as Sango and Inuyasha began another spar and walked on.

"So, how's your boyfriend doing?" Yuka asked as we walked out of Wacdnolds.

"Boyfriend?" I looked between my school friends. For all I know, they just want good gossip to spread.

"You know, the one you won't let us see," Ayumi chirped helpfully.

"I don't not let you guys see him," I argued before pursing my lips shut. Uh, I don't want to think how the outcome would be if Inuyasha would meet these three bubble heads. "He's just... busy most of the time." It wasn't exactly a lie. He seemed to go out a lot (whether to meet Kikyou or actually be busy I'm not sure of).

"Oh?" Eri glanced at me, "Can't you ask him the time of day? Cause, as your friends we have to look after each other."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion at Eri's slightly worried eyes. "What do you mean?"

Yuka cut in, "What if he's dangerous?"

"He isn't," I said incredulously. At least, when he wants to be, I thought back to the look on Inuyasha's face when he stood over me and a shiver ran up my spine. He definitely looked dangerous then, especially when the demon called him a half-breed.

"We'll be the judge of that," Eri said, "When we meet him."

I glanced at Eri warily when she chatted with Yuka a minute later. Something was wrong. I could sense it. When we came on school grounds, I pulled Eri away. "What's wrong? You're acting strange."

Eri looked around nervously like a rabbit in the middle of a pack of wolves. "Um, restroom?"

I sighed and nodded. We walked casually into the girl's restroom and checked for anybody in the stalls before turning to each other. "Well?"

She turned from scared rabbit to the sly, twitchy-tailed cat I always saw her as. Aka: Bitch in Control. Not that I don't like her or anything. She never went against me. "Have you ran into something... inhuman?"

"Inhuman?" I didn't like the sound of this. "What do you mean?"

Eri put her hands on her hips and looked into my eyes. "I mean, something not human. Monster, demon-ish thing... possibly with mutt qualities."

Mutt... I tried clicking things together by sending my spiritual powers probing through her body until I found what I was looking for. "You're a demon," at her surprised expression, I added, "A cat to be precise."

She didn't flinch. "Yeah, I am. What are you?"

Figures she's a cat demon. Though, her demonic aura was so weak that I didn't have to breach her demon-sealing sutra too long. "A demon slayer," I answered honestly.

"Figures, no wonder you smell like demon blood some days," she sniffed and scowled, "Caught a dog?"

"I guess you can say that, more like dating him actually."

Eri looked horrified. "A dog demon?" she hissed, "Do you know how possessive they are, Kagome?"

I rose a brow.

"Oh my God, I was right. You do need help."

"I'm a hunter. I can take care of myself just fine," I argued.

"Alright," she still looked wary. "But still, do you even know of their nature?"

No... I thought. But it didn't matter. I liked Inuyasha so far. I'm pretty sure I would still like him later.

"Just promise to come to me if you need any help," Eri said as the bell rang, "And keep me updated until your his."

"Promise," I said. I probably won't need it but it wouldn't hurt to have some help on backup.

Eri nodded, "You definitely need to tell me how that happened later with you and the dog," she said as we left. We exchanged knowing glances. "Hush-hush?"

I nodded in agreement, "Hush-hush." I really had to look deeper in my friends for things like this.

I pulled myself out of the water, sighing as I seated myself on the edge. I tugged off the swim cap and goggles, setting them down next to me as I ran a hand through my hair.

"Higurashi!" the female coach called, "Ten minutes," and with that, she left the pool area.

I rolled my shoulders before starting to stand. I bet if I left Inuyasha waiting for long, he'd come to find me. Or ditch me. I don't know.

A stream of bubbles erupted from the drain at the bottom.

My brows scrunched together in confusion as I watched it, half-way in a crouch position. I know that the school's staff drains the pool every other month to scrub it clean but I also know that today wasn't the day. My coach wouldn't let us practice if that was it.

Something small started slithering out of the drain, growing bigger and bigger until I realized what it was.

I scowled and quickly backed away from the ledge. I don't have any weapons on me and it's not like I can go to my locker to get some, expecting that this demon would stay there.

A slimy tentacle shot out of the water and quickly wrapped around my waist before I could run, tugging me into the water. I barely caught my breath before I was submerged.

I opened my eyes, ignoring the stinging of salt as I tried seeing what I was up against. It was only a blur but I didn't need to see clearly to know that it took up half the pool. The arm around my waist tightened, making air escape my mouth as I fought against it. My feet connected with it's body but I couldn't put any force behind it while in the water.

My lungs burned with the need for air and I desperately breathed in water as I writhed in its grip. I could hear the demon chuckle as my actions slowed and stopped. I faintly saw the dark blob open its mouth, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth on the inside.

It wasn't one of Naraku's followers, I noted dully as closed my eyes tightly against the burning pain inside me. Otherwise, it wouldn't try to eat me and instead bring me to him. Was I really going to die here?

I opened my eyes again when I felt a tooth run against my shin and tried crying out but there was no more air in me. I saw something dark shoot through the water and straight at the creature. It screeched and it's hold on me loosened as it fought against whatever was hurting it.

Before I knew it, the water around me was dark with blood, or I was blacking out. Or it could be both as I felt something pull me out gently.

It was wide enough to hold my whole body in the air with room so that I could roll on my side and cough out water, shuddering. I sucked in oxygen quickly as I felt whatever was holding me descend.

Strong arms helped me off it and held me closely, tightly when my knees buckled after feet touched ground. I opened my eyes more tiredly, looking out at the blood that was quickly spreading in the water.

I relaxed and sighed, "Thank you," I breathed, resting my forehead on my hero's chest while trying to catch my breath.

A hand rested on the back of my head. "Kagome," I instantly recognized the voice and clenched my teeth together in anger. What was he doing here?

My hands started pressing against his chest as I tried pushing him away from me but the fight underwater left me drained of energy. Fear began to enter my body as his hand tangled in my soaked hair.

Instead of using it to tug my face up to look at him like he had done so before, Naraku's fingers only ran through my hair. "Soon, demons- my own and others- will not harm you, my pet," I brought my head up to look at his face, his red eyes piercing mine, "As you will belong to me."

I scowled up at him, "I refuse to be your toy again, Naraku," I hissed.

He smirked, "You always were," he purred, "I always looked after you even when you didn't suspect it. The half-breed that wants you will know who you belong to after this." There was a burning sensation on my shoulder blade and I pressed against him to get away from the feeling only to have it increase.

I cried out loudly when burning flesh reached my nose until the burning stopped. I glared up at him when I heard the sound of metal hit the floor. "What did you do?" I demanded, only to have my head snap back when his hand tugged my hair hard.

He laughed darkly and his lips crushed mine. I scowled and bit his bottom lip hard, drawing blood. In response, his claws dug deep into my sides, ripping holes into my bathing suit and piercing skin. It was just like old times.

I tore away from him when I had the chance. My legs were unable to hold me up yet and I fell to my knees, wiping his blood from my lips.

"Feisty as I like it," Naraku chuckled before his face became serious again. "You belong to no one else but me, and I'll make sure of it."

"Sorry 'bout that, I've been thinking about belonging to someone else," I said sarcastically. "Get real, Naraku. I'd rather kill myself than be with you."

His eyes narrowed, "Time will only tell."

I watched as he disappeared in his poisonous gases before struggling to my feet. "Coward," I muttered, glaring at the bloody water as I slowly limped to the locker rooms.

I showered off the blood but had to wear my P.E. Shorts because of the long wound that the demon's fang left on my shin. I used gauze from the first aide box near the coach's office to hold off the blood for now.

I tried calling Inuyasha's room number only to find that he wasn't answering the phone. "Inuyasha! Pick up the freaking phone!" I growled into my cellphone, peeking out of the double doors to see if anyone was coming.

I couldn't just leave the corpse of a demon in the pool and Inuyasha was the only one who could send a group to clean up. Too bad he wasn't answering the damn phone.

I tensed when I heard footsteps coming towards the door and quickly looked and sighed in relief when I saw Inuyasha coming closer.

"Jeez, what was taking you? You left me waiting for a half-an-hour and-" he paused and scrunched his nose. He quickly led me back inside the pool area and closed the door behind us. He quickly scanned the damage, "What happened?"

I crossed my arms, "You can figure it out."

He walked over to the pool and knelt down, glaring down at the red water. "What kind of demon was it? Naraku's?"

"No, it was a random demon this time," I answered.

He sent a look over his shoulder and stood up, covering his nose. "This thing reeks," he backed up and looked at me. His eyes caught my bandaged leg. "You're hurt?"

"Worry later," I shot back before adding in a more gentle tone, "You need to get someone to clean this up."

He frowned at me but nodded, sighing as he dug out his cell phone. "Did anyone see?"

I shook my head, walking over to sit on the bleachers while he made the call. I brought my leg up to observe the wound more closely, seeing my blood starting to soak through.

Should I tell Inuyasha about Naraku? I wondered, glancing back at him. He was already concerned enough. I sighed, closing my eyes tiredly.

"Come on, Kagome," I brought my head up and nodded, following him out. "The group should be here in at least five minutes."

I nodded again, shivering at the cold air.

"Something wrong?" he asked, shrugging out of his jacket to drop it on my shoulders.

"N-...No," I pulled the jacket closer to me as we exited the school grounds.

He hummed, raising a brow at me before looking ahead. I know he suspected something. Maybe later today, I'd tell him about Naraku.

We reached his car and Inuyasha instantly cranked up the heat before pulling away from the curb. I slumped down in my seat in relaxation. "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol played on the radio.

Other than the music, there was only silence, and now that I'm still, I can feel a pricking pain on my shoulder. I tried casually adjusting to stop the pain but it only stung more. After a few minutes, I gave up and began to endure it for now. I caught Inuyasha staring and sent him a quizzical look, "What?"

His stare was strange, not exactly looking at my face, like he was observing my movements. My self-consciousness faded when he asked, "Feeling alright?"

I nodded. "I don't need any hospital help if that's what you're wondering," I rested my elbow on the handle, rethinking when that movement sent a dull pain, "I can wait until we get home."

He hummed, looking back at the road. "There's a strange smell on you," his mouth tightened in a thin line, "Like burnt flesh."

He hit the nail on the head with that one. "Yeah," I clenched my hands into fists on my lap, "I'll have to check that later, too."

"What else happened?" he asked, shooting me a meaningful glance.

I sighed. "The demon dragged me under and almost drowned me, he was going to eat me and my leg came in contact with one of it's fangs- which is where the wound on my leg came from."

He nodded, showing that he was listening.

"Naraku killed the demon and pulled me out-" I noted his hands tightening on the wheel and continued, "And gave me another threat before blood spilled and he vanished again."

He nodded again, glaring at the traffic ahead. "Let me check your wounds when we get inside."

When we reached the apartments he was the first one out. I barely had time to unbuckle my seat belt before I was lifted out of my seat in Inuyasha's arms. He forcefully closed my door and power-walked to his room.

"I can walk, you know," I shot when he went up the stairs.

"No, you can limp," he rolled his eyes. I glared, crossing my arms as he somehow opened his door and went inside. He set me down gently on the sofa with an order to 'Stay there.' as he went to get the first aid kit.

I bit my lip as I looked at the blood-spotted, cheap bandages before untying the knot and unwrapping it. The scratch nearly went from my foot to my knee, not as deep as I figured it would be. But it would surely leave another scar on my skin.

Inuyasha came back, popping the lid off the box and wiping blood off around the wound. He gave it a calculating look.

"Is it too deep?" I asked.

"Not at all," he answered, "But there is too much blood."

I blinked, watching in confusion as he dug through the medical box. "What's that got to do with it?"

He paused, looking at me. "The taste of your blood on my tongue threatens to release my demon. Unless you want to try to subdue me again, I can't taste too much of it." He went back to searching.

"How come?"

He sighed in agitation. "Priestess blood, I told you before that it's a better taste to demons. You're lucky I'm only half," he cocked his head to the side in thought as he looked back at me. "And that I have a healing agent in my saliva instead of poison."

"It can vary?" I asked as he treated the wound carefully, "Between demons I mean."

"It's rare for a demon to have a healing agent," he explained calmly, "It's more common that they don't have anything helpful or dangerous at all." He smiled to himself, "In some ways, I'm glad I'm half. My brother has poisonous saliva. I'm guessing it's the same for all dog demons. If I were a full-fledged demon, I probably couldn't help you with your most deadly wound. I'd have to take you to the Base and let them take care of you but you'd still have scars left over..."

"And what about your blood? When you made me swallow some of yours?" I watched him carefully. He was staring at my wound with such intensity, obviously deep in thought. I was glad he was answering my questions.

He shrugged. "It was to get rid of the poison in your system. If I didn't do that, you'd be very sick for a month. Sesshomaru didn't give you enough poison to kill you but it would definitely harm you for a while. I thought that if I gave you some of my blood, it would make you stronger to fight off the poisons while you slept."

"And did it?"

He shook his head, "It wasn't the effect I wanted but it did help get rid of most of the poison. It still left you ill for a couple days."

I smiled, "At least it helped...- not that I'm gonna let you do that again." I shivered when Inuyasha lowered his head and ran his tongue along my wound. "Didn't you say-"

"Now that I think about it, I don't want to see another damn scar on your body," he scowled at the wound that was starting to slowly close before my eyes. He looked back at my face, "You suffered enough of those."

I felt heat slowly crawl up and down my body. "Um, in that case..." I hesitantly showed him the puncture marks on either side of my waist.

He cleaned up the wounds as well before sweeping his tongue across each one. I was surprised when I felt goosebumps rise on my flesh and ignored the feeling as his tongue closed each wound. I was starting to make out a violet, jagged, demonic marking fading in on each side of his face. I moved and he brought his head back up, markings fading away.

He pressed a hand against my shoulder and I hissed as the pain returned. He growled as he moved me so that I sat facing him. "Naraku dealt these wounds?" When I nodded, he grasped the front of my school shirt and ripped it straight down the middle.

I gasped, quickly bringing my arms up to cover my cleavage as I glared at him. "Inuyasha!"

He ignored me and stood up to look at my shoulder blade, where the burning had started. His growls increased. "Damn that fucking bastard!"

I looked over my shoulder at him. "What is it?"

He glared at whatever was on my shoulder for a moment before slowly sliding off my bra strap. I was about to chew him out for being a pervert except that the pain receded a bit. "It looks like his own way to stake a claim until he decides to take you." He dug through the pockets on his sweater and pulled out something while sitting down next to me.

My eyes narrowed as he turned it over in his palm to reveal what looked like a crude metal cookie cutter in the shape of a spider.

"He's dead," we both stated with the same amount of hate in our voices.

I took the metal out of his hand and glared at it. "Why does every demon assume that I belong to someone? Naraku, his demons, other demons, Eri, Ayame..." I tossed the piece of junk somewhere.

"Ayame?"

My blush was barely noticed as I turned my glare at him. "What if I want someone to belong to me? Huh?"

He backed up against the arm cushion, sighing. "Females usually aren't-"

I glared, "This female can kick your ass if you make any sexist comments," I growled.

He looked indifferent to my threat. Does anything I say ever faze him? "Kagome-"

I pulled him to me by the collar of his shirt and crashed my lips on his, stopping whatever comment he was going to make next. I felt his growl rumble through him as he pulled me tight against him, eagerly responding to my rough kiss. I felt his hands smooth themselves on my bare back and smirked to myself. If Naraku happened to be watching me now I hoped he'd get the message that I don't belong to him.

Inuyasha pushed me off, clutching my arms tightly as we caught our breath. He smirked and pulled me back to him, one of his hands were at my neck, preventing me from pulling away as he explored my mouth with his tongue. I faintly tasted my own blood on it.

"Kagome," he breathed, brushing his lips against my flesh as I placed my hands on his shoulders. He pushed me back until I felt the sofa seats against my back. He hovered over me, showering kisses while rolling his hips against mine, getting the moan I was trying not to let out. I was barely aware that I was shirtless when he trailed kisses down my neck and stopped at my cleavage. My breaths came out in short gasps when he flicked his tongue against my heated skin and I tugged his hair back to make him kiss my lips again.

Three sharp knocks. "Inuyasha. I know you're in there, you lazy slob," an unrecognizable female voice said through the wood of the door.

Inuyasha groaned when I froze. "Great. Just great," he muttered. "It's Kagura, Sesshomaru's mate," he said in a hushed voice when he saw my confused look, "What the hell could she want?" he asked himself as he settled back, giving me enough room to get up.

My hands went up to cover myself with a flushed face. "I-I'm gonna go take a shower." Damn, I was stuttering. Pull yourself together, girl!

He grinned and nodded. I quickly ran to the bathroom as he went to answer the door. I quickly closed the door and rested against it, eavesdropping.

"Kagura," Inuyasha greeted.

"Puppy," she greeted as well. I heard the door squeak closed.

"Well? What do you want?"

"Where's your mate?" she asked curiously, "Higurashi?"

"She's not my mate," Inuyasha answered smoothly.

My heart leaped in my chest at his words. I frowned, pressing my ear to the door.

"My mate-to-be... just. Got. In. The. Shower."

I blinked at his enunciated words before figuring it out. I quickly turned on the water, setting it to a lukewarm temperature. Part of me wanted to remain eavesdropping on them, but they would surely find out that I'm not taking a shower. I still had to wash off dried blood anyways.

I undressed, tossing my clothes into the hamper and stepping in, sighing silently as the water cooled my body. It was too bad that I couldn't hear them with the water running.

When I got out, I cursed myself for not bringing any clothes to change into. I pulled a towel around my body and tried to hear if Kagura was still there. There was only silence.

I hesitantly opened the door and looked around to find the room empty. I glanced down and found folded clothes waiting in front of the door, a note on top of it. Deciding that no one was here, I scooped up the clothing and closed the door. The little yellow post-it note had a few simple words scrawled on it.

Went to see Sesshomaru.

Stay indoors.

Be back soon.

-Inuyasha

At least his notes were a bit longer than Sango's. I rolled my eyes, slapping the piece of paper down before starting to change into warmer clothing- a long-sleeved, light pink shirt and jeans.

I had some laundry to do. Inuyasha must have missed the fact that his basket of worn clothes were overflowing. I'll only be out for a minute or so, I reasoned mentally, glancing at the flipped note to find something written on the back in Inuyasha's messy style.

P.S.: When will we be something more?

My head was nodding as I tried not to fall asleep to the sounds of the laundry mat. Thankfully, the teenager sitting next to me was talking non-stop on her phone while flipping through pages of a thin book. Could she be any more obnoxious? Her voice was definitely louder than necessary, or that I'm just sitting too close but I highly doubt it.

I almost sighed with relief when her load of laundry was done and she slapped her paper-back on the metal seat next to her and got up, quickly folding what had to be at least three outfits before quickly leaving, taking her voice with her.

When the washing machine was done, I quickly exchanged piles of clothes- washer to the dryer and basket to the washer. I pulled a few quarters out of my pocket and sighed. Just enough to finish one more load.

I busied my hands with folding the cleaned clothes neatly and placing them in the basket. I glanced at the seat next to me and raised a brow at the book she left before switching glances at the door. She won't come back soon, I thought and took it, flipping it over to see the front.

A Hundred Ways to Tease- and Please- Your Guy!

The paper-back nearly slipped from my grasp. I blushed, glancing around the mostly-empty building before opening to page 1. It wouldn't hurt to view the advice, would it?

I was near page 25 when the laundry was finished. I sighed, hiding the book under the folded clothes and exited the building, walking towards the apartments with my hands full.

Shippo was playing with a wooden sword when I came back and opened the gate for me. "Hey, Kagome!"

"Shippo, did Sango give you permission to use our practice weapons?" I asked, adjusting the weight of the basket against my side.

He looked sheepish as he answered, "No. But Miroku did, though!" he added quickly.

"Uh-huh," I glanced at my old room. At least Shippo grabbed something that wouldn't hurt him.

"It's true! Miroku handed me a weapon and pushed me out," A blush rose to his face as he looked down at the ground, mumbling something I couldn't hear.

"What?"

"I think Miroku and Sango are mating..." he said a bit louder, glancing up at me with innocent, green eyes.

My brows rose. Why would he- I groaned mentally. Demon hearing... damn. I set the basket down and knelt down to his human level. "Shippo, try to refrain from using your demon senses out of the sutra. I know how much power it takes out of you." That wasn't a lie, either. Inuyasha always seemed drained of energy when he uses his strength outside of the sutra.

He nodded, scuffing his feet against the cement.

"Anyways," I said, lowering my voice, "Did Inuyasha come back yet?"

He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "He left?"

I nodded.

Shippo shrugged, glancing up at our room. "I just got out here, so, I wouldn't know... sorry."

I smiled gently, "It's alright."

His eyes came back to my face, "Um, can I come inside with you?"

"Sure, Shippo," Before I could grab the basket, Shippo took it for me and started up the stairs. I smiled and followed him.

This time, I remembered to bring the room key with me. Shippo walked inside eagerly. "Where do you want the basket?"

"Just set it in the bedroom," I said, walking into the room and started separating my clothes from Inuyasha's and hanging his in the closet, mine folded in the drawers.

Shippo looked thoughtful before laughing to himself. "Sango slapped Miroku again. She's gonna take me out to the arcade down the corner again!" he cheered and ran towards the door, "Bye, Kagome!"

"Bye-" the door closed and I picked up the book I left in the basket, "-Shippo..." I sighed and slouched on the couch, ready to read more tips until Inuyasha came home, ending up sleeping with the book covering my face.

I woke up when I felt hands slide under my body and was instantly alert until I caught sight of Inuyasha's face. "When did you get back?" I asked when he took his hands back.

"Just a few minutes ago," he kept his eyes on me as I sat up. "How's your back?"

I raised an eyebrow before realizing what he was talking about. I rolled my shoulder and frowned at the lack of stiffness. "Fine."

It was clear he didn't believe me. "You slept on it," he stated and walked behind me, "Let me see."

Not wanting him ripping off my shirt again, I reluctantly pulled my shirt up, making sure my front half was covered. I heard him suck in a quick breath. "What now?"

"It healed," he ran his hand across my back smoothly. I felt his breath against my skin as he inspected it. "Not all the way but it's healing fast."

I tugged my shirt back down, more than a little embarrassed as I turned to him. "That's good news, right?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I guess. It's weird but good."

I noticed something. "You're still in your human form," I pointed out.

He sighed, collapsing on the sofa near me. "Yeah, it's a new moon tonight."

I waited for more to be explained.

"Look, it's nothing special," he grabbed the remote and turned on the television, "On a new moon, I lose my demon powers for the night."

"Uh-huh..." I leaned back to rest against a cushion, just to notice that something was missing. The book! Damn it. I casually looked around on the sofa and looked on the floor in case it dropped.

"Missing something?" Inuyasha asked.

"Um, no," I lied, getting on the floor to look under the furniture.

"You sure?" Amusement colored his voice as he watched me crawl on all fours around the sofa. "What are you looking for?"

"Uh..." I blinked when I saw Buyo sleeping near the back of the couch. I snatched him up, hearing Buyo grumble in complaint. "My cat!" I stood up quickly and rested the obese cat on my shoulder.

"Mrow," Buyo struggled in my nervous grip.

"Come on, Buyo," I walked to the kitchen, "Dinner time."

Buyo stopped struggling and purred like a lawnmower against my neck.

After I fed the cat, I barely heard Inuyasha's suppressed laughter. I peeked out to see a hand covering his face as his shoulders shook with soft chuckles. I stepped out with my hands on my hips,"So... What did Sesshomaru want?"

"That's classified," he glanced at me, losing any trace of humor. "It doesn't involve you, so don't worry."

I hummed but pouted. Oh, sure, Kouga can tell Ayame everything but Inuyasha can't? How private could it be not to let me know?I went into his room and gathered a pillow and blanket for him tonight. I walked back and sat on the other side of the sofa with my feet tucked under me as I watched Inuyasha flip through channels for something to watch. Seeing that he wasn't going to use it right at the moment, I covered myself with the blanket and leaned my head on the pillow I set against the cushion. "Do you mind?" I motioned to the remote in his hand.

"Keh," he tossed it to me and rested his head on my lap. "There's nothing on anyways."

I stopped on a soap opera and grinned at Inuyasha's groan. He allowed me to adjust to get more comfortable before laying with one hand behind his head and the other resting on his stomach. I ran my hands through his hair. "It's kinda a shame your ears are gone," I mumbled as my fingers combed his dark hair.

Inuyasha glanced at me with curious, violet eyes, "Why?"

I smiled, "This would have been the perfect moment to touch them again."

He chuckled and turned his head back to the screen. "I thought I warned you not to touch my ears."

"That was a warning?" My smile widened at his look, "Looks like someone has sensitive ears."

"Duh, what did you expect?" He closed his eyes and his body relaxed. "Tell me when this is over."

I laughed lightly, returning to finger-combing his hair while I watched the soap opera. It didn't matter what form he took, I meant what I said. Even if it was his demon form, it's still the Inuyasha I know inside. I don't care what people might say about him, I love him for his unique character. Nothing would ever change.

Inuyasha's soft snores made me look down to find him sleeping peacefully. I tried slipping out from under him only to have him mumble in his sleep as he turned on his side. I sighed and turned off the television before cuddling my pillow and falling asleep.

A/N: Don't forget to review!