== CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE ==

SEEKING THE DEMONS (Part 8)

Inuyasha stumbles out of the room, Tetsusaiga in one hand, the other hand clasped around his throat to halt the intense bleeding. Kagome rushes to his side, grabbing him by the arm.

"Please, just let Bankotsu-san kill Yura!" Kagome cries.

"Fuck that," Inuyasha groans. "Yura… is… mine!"

"But it's not worth it if you kill yourself in the process!"

"Trust… me," Inuyasha glares at her, "This will… only take… one… second."

He coughs up blood before rushing out into the chaotic club. Patrons are rushing all around, trying to avoid Yura's razor sharp hairs that she put up to protect herself, and Bankotsu's wild swings of his broadsword. One of Yura's limbs is already missing, due to Bankotsu chopping it off.

"Come up," Bankotsu says, "I want to kiss you before I kiss you for good!"

"La – Get too close and I'll finally have that lovely braid of yourself to add to my collection," Yuri warns.

Bankotsu notices Inuyasha walking out onto the stage with Kagome in toe. He turns around, grabbing a handful of Yura's hair despite that fact it cuts his hand up, and he jerks his arm. Yura tumbles over to him with a scream. He slams his foot down on her chest to pin her in place.

Bankotsu raises his sword. "Watch me kill her, Inuyasha!"

"Move, or die with her!" Inuyasha screams. He pulls Tetsusaiga back, "This is for framing Sango: WINDSCAR!"

Inuyasha swings his sword unleashing a blast of wind. Bankotsu shields himself with his sword and the blast sends him across the room. Yura screams as her body is chopped up into a million pieces. The winds die down and the entire club is silent.

"Fucking… Jakotsu," Inuyasha mutters, sinking down to one knee. Kagome kneels beside him to hold him up.

"Whoa," Bankotsu lowers his sword and sees a huge crack across his sword. "That's one hell of an attack!"

"Go check on Jakotsu before he dies of blood loss," Kagome says.

"What?" Bankotsu snaps. He rushes into the back of the club at once.

"C'mon," Kagome says, "Let's go before he realizes I bluffed."

==LATER

"I'm gonna have to kill them," Inyuasha says.

Inuyasha lets Kagome drive his car. She glances over at him, her face uncertain, unsure of what to say to him. She can't agree with him but she can't say he's wrong either. Bankotsu is speaking about joining Naraku – Yura had revealed that. Him and his band of seven should be marked as traitors.

Inuyasha sits with a wrap around his throat. Demons have separate doctors, and although demons are more violent than humans, most have the power to heal themselves. The line was short in the demon ER and Inuyasha has the best health insurance through Four Souls Inc. so their visit was quick. Inuyasha's throat was already closed by the time the doctor came in to see them. They just cleaned some of the blood and slapped a bandage on.

"We need to tell Sesshomaru-sama before we do anything," Kagome says.

"Fuck Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha growls. "We can just take care of all of them on our own. You and I could take all of them down together."

"But there's no problem – they're all human!" Kagome says. "You'd be charged for murder if you took matter into your own hands and killed them."

Inuyasha glares out the window. "Don't take me to my apartment."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" Inuyasha asks.

Kagome rolls her eyes. "I know what I hate about you? That you always get so rude towards me for no reason! I just asked a simple question, I'm not a mind reader."

"Sorry."

"I don't care what you –," Kagome pauses. "What?"

"I'm sorry, ok?" Inuyasha growls. "I'm rude. I'm a dick, I get it. I can't help it; it was how I was raised."

"You can help it," Kagome mutters.

"My mom died not long after I was born, so I don't really remember her," Inuyasha says, "And I never knew my father, although all the former employees of Four Souls Inc. say he was so great and kind they thought of him as an angel, rather than a demon… he created this sword, and his company, out of his love for humans."

Kagome nods slowly. It's no secret Inuyasha's father started the company. And it's no secret the weapons Inuyasha and Sesshomaru possess are powerful heirlooms.

"So what happened with you after you lost your mother?"

"I lived with Sesshomaru and his mother… they both hated me. Funny part is, Sesshomaru didn't learn the hatred from his mom. He hated me before she could teach him to."

In all the time she's worked with him he's never been this honest and raw with her, especially when it came to his childhood. She knew there was a deeper reason to why Inuyasha hated Sesshomaru so much.

He looks out the window. "I can't go home. Kikyo will be angry with me. And I can't go home with you. I want your body. I want to fuck you until you scream my name. I want to be deep inside you, and I know I won't be able to stop myself if I'm alone with you."

Kagome flushes deeply.

"Just… don't take me home."

"I know where we could go," Kagome says, "Where we won't be alone."

==LATER

Kagome knocks lightly, not wanting to wake the neighbors. Sango opens the door wearing her short robe tightly around her waist. She motions for the two to enter her house.

"Please be quiet, my little brother is here," she nods towards the sleeping form on the couch.

"Oh, I thought Miroku would be here," Kagome giggles softly.

Sango glowers at her. She leads them into the kitchen. "What happened to your throat?"

Inuyasha tears off his bandage and reveals a thin red line. "Jakotsu slit my throat."

"Oh my God!" Sango cries.

Inuyasha waves her off. "I'm fine."

"But we have a lot to tell you," Kagome says.

She explains their night. Sango looks disturbed by all the news. At the end of it she gets up, shaking her head, and lets them know she's going to bed. She brings out some bedding.

"Kagome, you can sleep with me. Inuyasha, you can sleep out here with Kohaku."

"Thanks," Inuyasha says dryly, taking the bedding when she hands it to him. She goes into her room and closes the door.

Kagome looks at Inuyasha. "We'll talk to Sesshomaru together tomorrow."

"Feh," Inuyasha tosses his bedding into the living room.

She stands up. "Well… I'm going to go to bed."

He nods without looking at her. She starts walking past him and he catches her by the arm, stalling her. He looks down at her and her heart races when she looks up at him. She hates the way her heart pounds wildly whenever she's close to him.

"I have feelings for you," Inuyasha whispers.

She shakes her head. "Kikyo-sensei..."

"Knows," he says.

She glares at him. "You told her?"

"She can tell," he says. "She isn't a fool. And I don't know how much longer I can hold myself away from you, Kagome-chan…"

He places his hand on the side of her face.

"Would you think about being with me… if I left Kikyo?"

Kagome gasps. She jerks her arm out of Inuyasha's grasp and rushes away. What the hell? Why is he talking about this right now? No wonder why he didn't want to go home to Kikyo. She's so glad he didn't ask to be alone with her. She would've said yes and been stuck with him after this revelation.

She opens Sango's door and steps into her bedroom. Sango stands close to the door with her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. In her other hand is a pillow.

"I'm sorry, I was going to give this to Inuyasha…"

Fuck, Kagome thinks, she heard everything…

==SEEKING THE DEMONS/END