Ten years prior, something had made Kagome's stomach churn and the hair on the back of her neck crackle. A ring of light had flashed in the sky just ahead of her, and at the center of it, a man with silver hair. A man she could feel, as if her reiki reached out and touched him.
But before she could shout, before she could so much as react, he was gone, sprinting away from her faster than any human she'd ever seen. Kagome held that man in her mind, let that man and that moment marinate and cook, driving her obsession with demons and with the other side.
Yash was the silver-haired man.
Yash was a demon.
Yash was setting off devices that let demons loose in New York.
Yash disguised himself as a human.
Yash had read Kagome's book.
Yash had sought her out.
Yash had slept with her.
He had molten gold eyes, crested with long lashes and expressive eyebrows. His fingernails were claws, and a fang pinched his full lips as he looked apprehensively at her. The silver hair she'd remembered so distinctly was on full display, glowing in her apartment as if it were reflecting non-existent moonlight. And atop his head were two triangular ears, lined with fine fur, like those on an Akita. He was ethereally beautiful, and the moment that his yōki unveiled, it touched her reiki.
Instead of recoiling from the sensation, the connection between their auras soothed her. Like she was home. Its comfort forced Kagome back into the present, to the man who'd fucked her and spied on her and set evil things loose in New York, who'd known who she was and followed her and—only now, when they'd nearly caught a demon—did he come to her door? She tried to spark her reiki to life, to rage at him for everything, but it refused to listen. As if… it had already accepted him at some deep and profound level that she wasn't quite ready yet to examine.
Since Kagome couldn't use her reiki, she used her words.
"You're telling me that you are opening those portals. And that you've been reading my book and came to spy on me disguised as a human, and you want my help?!" Kagome was almost angry at how calm, how comforted, she felt. "For ten years, you knew who I was and—"
"A week," Yash interrupted, his ears drooping low enough they were nearly obscured by his hair. "I… I only found you… a week ago."
"The night that we—" Kagome started to say, then paused.
"Yeah." Yash's cheeks were turning pink, and his golden eyes looked shyly down at the floor.
The night that Kagome had amazing sex with Yash.
Who was a demon.
Who was the silver-haired man.
"Yash…" Kagome didn't know what to say. She had so many questions in her head that she didn't know where to start.
"Inuyasha, actually." Yash—Inuyasha—shrugged. "M—my name."
"Inuyasha," Kagome corrected; Inuyasha's ears perked up at the sound of his name. "Why—why now? Why ask me for help now and not, say, 5 demons ago?"
"I had a partner." Inuyasha slumped down. "He told me where to open 'em, and I did as I was told. I was just… tryin' to get—"
"By releasing increasingly violent demons into the city?" Kagome interrupted, though the way Inuyasha kept looking away and wringing his clawed hands, it made that soothed part of her try to cross the room to him and pull him into a hug.
"He… he told me that it was random. And—fuck—I believed him way too long." Inuyasha slumped down so much that he had to catch himself, and he refused to look at Kagome. "Be—because I wanted to go home. More than anything."
"Why didn't you come find me earlier? Why spy and work with this… partner if you were so sure that something was up?" Kagome pressed. She would resist the pull; she would.
"He—he was the one who brought me the book," Inuyasha whispered, sounding more defeated by the minute. "He said that… when you and Kikyō blasted that demon. That you must hate us. And maybe you would—you would do that to me too." Inuyasha's ears had disappeared into his hair. "I—I was scared and just sorta… went along. Because… because I was alone."
"You met me a week ago, and decided not to tell me." Kagome needed to keep interrogating, especially given Inuyasha's reason was… sound. No. She needed to force his shields all the way down, and push her way inside. "A demon came out of one of those things and maimed people. And instead of stopping, you made another device."
"N—no, I didn't!" Inuyasha still looked defeated, but the way his voice took on an edge of indignation interested her. "That night… that wonderful night. I got a text from Onigumo. Motherfucker copied my plans and made another one of those fucking things… and… he said he figured out how to make it use yōki or reiki. And he—he threatened you." Inuyasha finally turned his eyes back to Kagome, eyes that held no deception. "And there was no fucking way I was gonna let anything happen to you. Or to the others. I just… I needed to protect you… more than I needed to go home."
Damn. Kagome's resolve was collapsing like a souffle in the humidity. Because Inuyasha's earnestness was palpable, because at the moment that he said he needed to protect her she could feel his yōki reach for her, as if emphasizing his point.
It was time to stop resisting the pull. Inuyasha wasn't going to hurt her. And Inuyasha was still the adorably awkward Yash that bought her a drink. Just more genuine. So she crossed the room and pulled him in for a hug, because that was what he needed more than anything in the world at that moment.
"How about this, Yash." Kagome stroked his hair as he collapsed into her, desperate for the touch. "No more secrets. Everything on the table. And…" When Inuyasha rolled his head further into her hand, she let her fingers brush the downie-soft fur on his ears. "I will try to help you." She could feel his hot breath tickle her neck, could feel how animated the motions of his chest were as he breathed. Kagome slowly brought Inuyasha's eyes—his luminous amber eyes—to meet hers. "A promise."
For a moment, Inuyasha froze. He almost looked frightened, of promising, of her, of their closeness. Then his face relaxed, and he nodded, at first tentatively, then more and more animatedly.
"A promise," Inuyasha repeated, before returning his head to Kagome's shoulder, and throwing his own arms around her. Letting her resume stroking his ear. "No more secrets."
"I want to hear everything, but let's start with the really bad thing that you think might be about to happen," Kagome suggested.
"Thank you," Inuyasha whispered, still buried in Kagome's shoulder. Then suddenly he tensed, and turned his eyes back to hers. "Where are your friends?"
"Kikyō is probably with Kagura, and Sango is probably home—wait, are they in danger?" Kagome pushed away from Inuyasha for a second. He had a partner, she thought. "Inuyasha, are my friends in danger?"
"I… I don't think so." The look in Inuyasha's eyes changed; there was now a glint of something dangerous in them. "I threatened him pretty good. But… you might wanna tell your friends if they see a creepy black-haired dude—"
"That looks like Wormtongue from Lord of the Rings?" Kagome finished Inuyasha's sentence; might as well make it clear that at least one of them had seen the partner. "I will text them right now. Just in case."
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Inuyasha had returned his head to her shoulder, and was shaking it, even as he snuffled at her skin. It was… it was doing things to her.
Kagome patted Inuyasha's head, then pulled out her phone.
Stay near Kagura and Sango. Wormtongue might be on the loose.
Got it. Are you safe?
Kikyō's reply was immediate.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, and smiled.
Completely safe
She replied. Because her soul knew that she was. And she trusted her soul.
"Now, I am going to go make some tea, and we'll talk," Kagome offered, only to find now that Inuyasha had his arms around her, and he was resisting every effort she made to extricate herself. "Um… Not that I don't appreciate the hug but…"
"Oh…" Inuyasha pulled away immediately, then started sheepishly wringing his hands again.
God, he was adorable. God, he was beautiful. But… there was also something else.
"How long has it been since you've been hugged?" Kagome probably should have been getting tea and trying to figure out how to save the world from the coming really bad thing, but… the way he looked like a starving child waiting in a food line was boring a hole deep into her soul, begging her to care for him.
"N—not since I've been… in New York," Inuyasha admitted, his ears drooping again.
If Inuyasha appeared in New York with that flash of light, it meant he had not been hugged in 10 years. But… if that were the case, then one week ago…
"And… was that night—our night—your first? In New York?" Kagome finished her thought out loud. She really shouldn't care about this. The world might be ending at that very moment… yet…
"Y—yes." Inuyasha was back to looking down so staunchly he looked to be staring through the floor. And the pink color that dusted the bridge of his nose did not help matters. Kagome wanted to hug him for the next ten years, just to try to take that desperate loneliness that plagued him away.
"No wonder you wanted to get home so bad," Kagome sighed, then opened her arms to accept him back into them; he was back immediately. "Hmm, maybe instead of tea, just some water will do."
She let Inuyasha hold her hand as she filled two glasses of water, then headed back into her living room. She sat herself on the edge of the couch; Inuyasha immediately joined.
"Tell me everything. From start to finish," Kagome said, letting Inuyasha curl up on the couch, and lay his head in her lap.
She didn't know if they had time, or what was coming next. She wasn't sure sitting quietly and stroking Inuyasha's silver dog ears was the right course of action, but it was what her soul was telling her to do. Telling her that Inuyasha had come to the human world on that night ten years ago for a reason, that Inuyasha had found her for a reason, and that Inuyasha was there, in her apartment, confessing to her for a reason.
So she listened.
About the day he came to New York, scared and alone.
About the way he slid invisibly into society.
About the demon world, and about the borderlands.
About Onigumo giving Inuyasha the book, and reverse engineering Kikyō's theories.
About the locations, and how Onigumo was always the one who directed him to the where.
And finally, about the words the last demon spoke (apparently in Latin).
"Who's Naraku?" was the first question that Kagome asked.
"I dunno," Inuyasha answered, still in her lap, letting her pet the silken soft hair on his head. "But if he's attacking on that side and trying to get to this side, I need to stop him. B—but I can't do it by myself. I need help, Kagome. Please help me."
It was the plea that brought him to her apartment, and pressed him into revealing his true form. Inuyasha had laid everything out on the table to try to make amends for his deeds, all because he just wanted to go home. It led to him confessing that he was a demon to someone with the power to obliterate demons. Because the world was in mortal danger. Because he put his trust in the wrong person.
"I'll help you." It sounded so natural coming out of Kagome's mouth. Just as it felt so natural for Inuyasha's head to lay in her lap, and for her hands to stroke his ears. "But… well…"
"But what?" Inuyasha turned his head so those golden orbs he had for eyes were fixed on her.
"If you thought I'd be hard to convince, you're about to get one rude wake-up call," Kagome answered.
She wanted to help Inuyasha, wanted to stop Onigumo and this Naraku thing. And unfortunately, that meant convincing Kikyō, Kagura, and Sango as well.
Without warning, she was in his arms again, and he was squeezing her as if his life depended on it.
"Thank you," Inuyasha whispered, voice so laden it came out as a whimper. "For everything."
"Don't thank me yet," Kagome deadpanned, then she sighed.
Yes, convincing her demon hunting friends to trust the demon she met 10 years ago, who'd been making the portal devices and setting murderous demons loose into the city with a dude who might be stalking them at that very moment was going to be a tall order. But, when she looked into Inuyasha's eyes and she stroked his ears and she listened to the earnestness in his voice, somehow, Kagome knew that it was worth it.