5 Stories Up

Inukag AU. I had an idea about them getting trapped in an elevator. Lol it is what it is. Drabble on my phone.

It was something people often do today, nothing out of the ordinary especially when working in a multi-floored office building. And Kagome Higurashi loved working for Taisho Industries despite being in close proximity to demons. They all treated her like part of the family… except for one.

Her boss was the youngest son of the CEO Toga Inutaisho. Where Toga was kind and relaxed, his sons not so much. He warned her that Inuyasha wasn't exactly personable and that no one had lasted more than a few months in the position. But it paid well, was a really good opportunity, so she accepted the challenge.

How bad could Inuyasha really be?

By the end of the first day, Kagome had almost broken down in tears in the man's office. Inuyasha was an asshole! But instead of getting upset or sad, she was furious! Gossip had told her he didn't have an easy childhood. Human mother who died when he was young. An older brother that resented and treated him with disdain. Kagome was certain Inuyasha grew to be this prick because of it, but that wasn't a good enough excuse.

After his rant, Kagome had quietly closed his door, and by the time she turned back to face him, a look of anger had transformed her face into that of a demoness. She let him have it! Cursing him out for his attitude. Screaming at him that she was not some stupid little secretary who'll cower in fear. She could purify his ass if she was so inclined!

"I'm here to help you Inuyasha and if you were smart, you'd realize that and treat me like a partner!"

Needless to say, he had been shocked speechless. No one in his staff had ever spoken to him that way and frankly… he was amused. Had his father picked this one knowing of her background? He wouldn't put it past the old man. Inuyasha didn't change his attitude but he yelled at her less afterwards. And he had to give it to her, Kagome was proving to be a very capable right-hand girl.

So, considering this rocky start, and the strange relationship that was born from it afterwards, it wasn't a surprise that they now found themselves in this awkward position. On their way to a meeting, Inuyasha and Kagome entered the elevator at the 11th floor and by the 5th it had come to a dead stop.

"What the fuck!" Inuyasha growled as not only had it stopped, but the power, lights, and everything shut off, leaving them in pitch blackness. He whips out his phone dialing his father. "What the hell's going on, is this a prank!"

"The power?" His father responds, "no apparently there's been a city power outage."

"We're fucking stuck in the elevator!"

"Oh my," Toga chuckles, "I'm assuming you and Miss Higurashi?"

"Yes!" Inuyasha growls.

That only makes Toga laugh harder. "Well son, the electric company is saying this might take a few hours to fix so, you could climb out the service trap with Miss Higurashi or just settle in and wait. But if I might suggest," his voice lowers amusedly, "you two should get to know each other better."

"You're a dick!"

"I'm just a man who'd like grand babies sometime this century," click.

"Bastard!" Inuyasha raises his hand to throw the phone against the wall.

Kagome quickly stops him. She grabs his hand, "D-Don't! I left mine in the office, it's our only way of communication."

She could only see what the dim illumination of the phone provided, but he could see her. Rather, now that she'd broken his thought train and anger, he noticed a different scent coming from her.

"Are you okay?" Inuyasha asks her. Kagome was still holding onto his hand. "Wanna let go now?"

She shakes her head. There was something only her closest friends and family knew about her. A fear born from nightmares of her father trapped in the car wreck that killed him. With the help of quick counseling, Kagome could handle being in confined spaces as long as it had an end in sight. But being stuck, in a metal elevator, in the dark… this was like her nightmare realized.

Her body begins to tremble as the emotions take hold of her mind. What if it falls? What if they run out of air? What if they're trapped for so long, they die of starvation or thirst?! It was ludicrous, but not for someone with claustrophobia to have these thoughts.

Inuyasha is befuddled. Here was this woman, the first one to stand up to him, trembling because of the situation? He couldn't understand why. Was she afraid of the dark? "What is wrong with you woman? We just gotta wait till the power comes back on and…"

"I-I can't be in here like this… I-I… T-This…" her fingers dig into his skin. "C-Claustrophobic!" She drops to a crouched position and pushes herself backwards until she hits the wall. Tears pour down her face as she cradles her head in her hands. "It's not happening… it's not happening…"

His ears pin against his head. Just great this woman was coming apart at the seams and he had no clue how to handle it. Maybe he should call his dad for advice?

"Please don't leave me…" She whimpers.

Now what made her think he'd do something like that? Okay, yeah, he was an ass but that would be a pretty messed up thing to do. "I'm not going anywhere Miss Higurashi." He pinches the bridge of his nose. 'Think, stupid! What would your mom tell you to do in this situation?'

He kneels down and takes a seat beside her. "Look, Kagome… I don't understand why but we're… we're gonna be fine."

"You don't know that."

True. But he was ninety-nine percent sure of it. "On the bright side, you're not alone, right? I'm stuck in here too and I believe we'll be okay."

Inuyasha looks at his phone, battery life 80%, thank you for small favors. He turns on the flashlight option, looks around, and sees the trapdoor in the ceiling. On his own, he could get out easily, but with Kagome in tow, one wrong move and they could fall down the shaft. He tucks the possibility aside from now and if things got worse, he'll chance it.

Next he turns it to Kagome. She'd wrapped her arms around her knees and her head was braced on it. His ears falter. Seeing her like this was pulling on his heart strings. But he couldn't think of anything to do. Inuyasha texts his dad about Kagome.

'Try taking her mind off the situation, keep her talking, hold her, anything so that she doesn't focus on what's happening…'

It was worth a shot.

He scratches his head, "um, so, Kagome, is there um, anything that would help you feel better? Maybe talking about it?" She shakes her head. "Okay, well, gah!" His ears pin back. "I'm not exactly good with this stuff, you know, never really had much affection to learn from." He mumbles, "I was the worst person you could'a got stuck with it…"

"You're not the worst…" her voice was quiet and timid with no hidden lies behind it.

Inuyasha perks up just a tad, at least she spoke! "Oh, really, there's worse people out there than me?"

"Yeah. And I don't think you're that bad Inuyasha, you just had a hard time while growing up… like I did."

"What happened to you? I-If you don't mind me asking."

"My dad died when I was younger." Kagome sighs, "in a car wreck and just imagining how he must have felt, trapped in that car, I…"

At that point he cuts her off and scoops the shaken woman into his lap. "You don't have to explain." Now he understood why she panicked. "Kagome that's not going to happen to you, I promise. We'll get out of here one way or another."

She was surprised that Inuyasha was being so kind and even more so when he'd pulled her into his lap and was comforting her. She sniffles, "What do you mean?"

He chuckles, "I'm a Hanyou, this box can't stop me if I want out! But it's safer if we wait for the electricity to come on, then to try climbing out of here."

That did make her feel a little better. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"But I didn't really do anything."

"I bet I'm seeing a side you don't show to anyone."

"Keh! Yeah well, don't be spreading that around, I got a rep to keep up."

And for the first time since the ordeal started, Kagome smiles. She still felt a little nervous, but somehow, just being close to Inuyasha, talking like this with him, was melting away her anxiety. Beneath the grumpy exterior, this man had a soft heart. Who would have guessed it would take a broken elevator to bring it out.

"You're almost cute like this," she teases, "I really like this side of you."

"Oi, what'd ya mean almost. I know I'm cute, not my fault people don't recognize it."

"They do," her body flushes. "You're just not the easiest to approach."

"Why Miss Higurashi, it sounds like you have a crush on me."

"I-I do not! I just, y-you know… okay I admit you're handsome, but I didn't say anything about a crush!"

"Good thing we got that cleared up."

"Yeah!"

"It would be a shame if I thought you might like me."

"Wait, What?!"

"Nothing, nothing. I think you're cute too, in a crazy, spit-fire kind of way, that's all."

Kagome turns around in his lap. "Are you feeling ill, Mr. Taisho," she places a hand on his forehead, "you're being too nice, and flirty, something must be wrong."

"Keh! Stop it," Inuyasha batts her hand away from his head. "Try and be nice and I get teased, fine!" He mumbles. "I can go back to being an ass."

"No, please don't. I'm sorry." Kagome slumps back. "I took it too far."

An awkward silence falls between them. It was nice to not feel so panicky anymore about being trapped in this elevator, but now Kagome was nervous about things that had been said. She was still wrapping her brain around Inuyasha's behavior because it was so different from what she was used to. But the problem was, she really liked this side.

Only her best friend Sango knew about the cute but pain in the ass boss Kagome had, and now she'd just blurted it out. Yes, if she wasn't lying to herself, maybe she had developed a tiny crush on Inuyasha and now those thoughts were plaguing her. Better than the phobia.

In the meantime, Inuyasha texts his dad asking for an update. So far, the utilities had managed to get the power plant back up and running, but an eta for their area was still up in the air. It could be minutes or it could be hours.

Wonderful. They'd shared enough for such a short amount of time. Hell, he was pretty sure this was the most they'd ever talked personally. And he wasn't sure if it was something he'd ignored till now, but in this confined space, Kagome's scent was rather alluring.

He chuckles in his head. Maybe it had changed now that she wasn't irritated with him. She was cute too, that hadn't been a lie. She was strong, willful, he bet his mother would have loved Kagome.

"A girl who can put my son in his place," laughter, "don't lose this one Inuyasha…"

That actually brings a smile to his face.

"Kagome, I wanna apologize for being mean to you before. You didn't deserve it. I think you're perfect for me… I-I mean as my assistant!

She turns to the man who'd hidden his face in the shadow of the phone light. Her eyes wide and bright. "Um, thank you…" Kagome responds cautiously. "I appreciate you saying that Inuyasha."

"But I don't," he takes a deep breath and goes for it, "I don't think you should stay as my assistant."

"What?! Why?! You just…"

"Let me finish! I wasn't lying earlier. I think you're cute and smart and I like how feisty you are… do you see where I'm going with this?!" She shakes her head. "Ugh! You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

"Inuyasha I'm really not following…" Kagome pauses. "Wait are you telling me that you really do have a crush on me?!"

He turns away. "I've always been a dick to my assistants cause most of them really did get under my skin… but the truth is with you, I kept doing it cause I didn't know how else to behave. I don't know how to deal with this lovey dovey shit."

Kagome slides over till she's facing him. She grasps his face in her hands and gazes into his eyes with a smile. "It's not so hard, Inuyasha. You did a good job right now helping me through my anxiety."

"What's that got to do with it?"

She chuckles, "showing you care is not all flowers and chocolates." Kagome leans closer. "Though showing is not a bad thing either…"

His golden eyes flash in the dim light, but she sees it clear as day. "I can do that," he grins and pulls her the rest of the way forward. A jolt of electricity zips through his body the moment their lips make contact.

"S-Sorry," she mutters, blushing something fierce, "I got excited."

But he brushes his lips against hers unfazed, "just try not to purify me," he teases before centering his kiss. She shakes her head lightly, relaxing into his kisses and his touch.

It takes another hour for the power to come back on, but by then Kagome had forgotten all about her anxieties thanks to the new Inuyasha she's met 5 floors above the ground.