Chapter Five

"But maybe you never really had someone, she thought now. Maybe, no matter how much you loved them, they could slip through your fingers like water, and there was nothing you could do about it."

― Cassandra Clare, City of Fallen Angels

She hated the smell of hospitals—the mixture of cleaners and medicines. And she wasn't alone, the wrinkled nose on Inuyasha's face giving him away. Not that he was hiding. He did pull his cap lower on his head as if to hide his face; it made Kagome wonder if he was a wanted criminal or something?

Gramps gave them a look, eyeing Inuyasha intently, even more, when Inuyasha didn't try to introduce himself or remove his hat. "Gramps, this is Inuyasha. The guy that owns the house I work at?"

Her grandfather didn't relax at all, gathering his newspapers and other trash in a huff. "Looks like a hoodlum to me." The 'hoodlum' didn't seem bothered at all by her grandfather's harshness, standing to the side to let him pass. Gramps lifted a finger and pressed it into Inuyasha's chest. "Kagome's got enough to worry about, so don't give her any trouble!"

"Grampa!"

"No worries, old man. I won't add to her pile of responsibilities."

Gramps left, and Inuyasha looked like he was going to follow behind him. "Where are you going?" He looked confused, like he forgot or something. "You said you wanted answers?"

Inuyasha hesitated, suddenly unsure. But after a beat of his internal struggling, he pulled up a chair opposite Kagome with her mother between them. His eyes were glued to the sleeping woman, and he wore a pained expression on his face. "What's wrong with your mom?"

"Weakened immune system. Which led to a weakened respiratory system. Now, if Mom even gets a small cold, she gets hospitalized. We just got her home for a few months when she got sick again, and this time…" she stopped, unable to say the words out loud.

When she pulled her eyes from her mother's face, Inuyasha was staring right back at her. His eyes were gold again. Had that been real, or was she just scared like the last time she saw him with red eyes?

"Where's your dad?"

Inuyasha was continuing the story she promised while she tried not to get distracted again. "Dead."

"Wha… why don't you tell those assholes that?!"

She sighed and fell back to her chair. "If I tell them dad is dead, then his debt will be officially ours. This way, they keep looking for him instead of circling us."

"They're still circling you. Do you have any clue how much danger you're in? They came to your home! Both of them!"

She jumped and put a hand on his arm. If he kept being loud, they would both get kicked out. "I know, but… what choice do I have? I'm working as much as I can! Maybe… maybe I should just quit school? Get a real job and put all the money towards my family as I should…."

"The fuck you're going to do that. It's not your fault your dad was shit!" It was more than that, but Kagome thought it best not to fight him on it, given his tone and attitude. "These guys won't stop even after they get the money. They're going to keep squeezing you."

"Better me than my family." She said, looking at her mother again.

"Does anyone else know? Your mom, brother, gramps,... boyfriend?"

She was ready to answer him, but the last one caught her off guard. "I don't have a boyfriend." Something flickered on his lips, and she watched it, but it was quick and didn't show what it was. "No, no one knows. Just you."

This time, something flickered on his mouth, and she figured it out. It was a smile that he fought off. "So that means you trust me?" When she nodded, he dropped his face and looked at the bed instead of her. "You shouldn't…" he whispered, but she heard it and his head popped back up before she could question him about it, "you're going to come live with me."

"Wha… no! I can't do that! I already told you…."

"Next time, I may not be around. What will you do then? Or if they break into the shrine? Come here to this hospital room? They're targeting you, and soon they'll use your family against you. I'm sorry, Kagome, but you don't have a choice. You need to stay away from anyone you care about."

She opened her mouth, but Kagome murdered the words that threatened to come out. Because she almost told him that she cared about him too. That would have been awkward and inappropriate. But, Kagome had no other options other than her apprehension to take advantage of her kind and sweet boss. She nodded her head in silence, and Inuyasha got to his feet.

He left without a word. Or so Kagome thought, returning a moment later with a bag of ice he got from somewhere. "Ice your hand, or it'll be useless tomorrow. You should probably get it looked at…."

"I'm fine," Kagome said, not sure what shape her hand was in, only that it hurt.

Inuyasha didn't look convinced, but he didn't press it. "I'll take your things home. And get a room ready for you."

"Inuyasha," he froze at the door, keeping his back to her, "thank you."

Her things in his hands, he nodded and stepped out. She watched him for as long as she could. The red hoodie and baseball cap he wore so much looked strange with his gloves back on. The long, thick braid of pure white hair down his back got him looks. If he didn't hide his face so much, he would get looks for that instead. His golden eyes and strong jaw were hard to miss.

"Oh god… I have to live with that?" Kagome murmured to herself.

It was settling in now; she was going to be living with her boss? In all his strangeness, he was still gorgeous. And extremely kind to her, more than she deserved. Kagome melted into her chair, covering her face with her hands (even her stiff one) as images of Inuyasha all 'casual' inevitably filled her head. Like him in a towel. How the hell did that get in there? Kagome cursed herself and her imagination.

Then, she focused instead on whether or not she would finally see him without something on top of his head.

oOo

She had to force herself to go up the stairs. No matter how exhausted she was since Inuyasha refused to let her sleep on the couch downstairs. So night after night for almost a week, Kagome had swallowed her fear and went up the sketchy steps' to the upper level.

The room Inuyasha had prepared for her was… nice. It didn't fit the rest of the house at all. Once she got past the stairs and the crooked hallway, she was fine. It was easy to forget the precariousness of the home when inside her room of cream-colored walls and neutral-colored bedding. Her mother's quilt looked nice on the bed, a small twin that was pushed into a corner with odd-shaped pillows for a daybed. The wood floor was a little rough, but a small woven rug sat in the middle and helped to cover it. Her room also had tons of clean and bright windows, with white curtains that glowed in the daylight. Add in the light-colored wicker furniture, and it was like she stepped into another world when she was in her room. If she didn't have a job to do, she would never leave it when she was home.

But she did have a job, rising from her solace and a super soft bed to get breakfast ready. Usually, she would step out into the hall and rush down it to safety. However, this morning she was stopped by voices. They were coming from Inuyasha's room. She wasn't eavesdropping, the house had little to no soundproofing, and his room was right across from hers. Kagome had inadvertently stepped into the conversation with a wall between her and it.

"She's living here now?" Miroku's voice crowed. "That's great!"

"Great?! Her goddamn life is at risk!" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome didn't kid herself in the slightest. She was here because thugs were after her for money she didn't have. Inuyasha was kind enough to offer his home and protection to her. It was why she cooked for him without complaint. That wasn't in her job description, but she didn't care. It was the least she could do for him. And he seemed to like her cooking.

"Oh, calm down! If you thought it was a problem, then you wouldn't have brought her here." Miroku laughed.

"You're right. I should have just gotten her an apartment somewhere. But I was afraid those asshats would find her wherever I put her…." Inuyasha was silent, and Kagome felt her heart in her throat, "I don't… want to lose her."

Kagome stepped back and started for the stairs like she should have moments ago before listening in on a private conversation. Her cheeks were on fire now, so that was her punishment for invading Inuyasha's privacy. However, she felt a little better when, even at the stairs, she could still hear Miroku as he spoke.

"Then you should tell her the truth."

She was in the kitchen (acting as if nothing happened) when Miroku found his way downstairs. "Oh, Miroku? Good morning. I didn't know you were here."

"I came a bit early. I needed to check up on something with the Master. Say, Kagome, since you live here now, what do you think?"

Miroku's sudden prying caused her to drop the pan she had harder on the stove than she meant to. "Think?"

"About the place?" He said with a broad smile.

"Oh... I uh… it's nice?"

"Uh-huh. And what do you think about Inuyasha?"

Kagome's face was burning again, turning from Miroku as much as possible to dig into the fridge for eggs. "He's.. uh… a very nice boss."

"Come now, Kagome." Miroku was close to her, behind her. "You can do better than that…."

"Miroku."

They both turned at Inuyasha's growl. Miroku wasn't affected by it while Kagome shivered from the cool malice of his tone. But she quickly heated back up when she got a good look at her 'boss'. It wasn't different than any other morning; Inuyasha had his usual t-shirt and cloth pants on as well as a bandana wrapped around the top of his head. She had seen him without them, but Inuyasha still wore his gloves all the time. He didn't wear them because of germs; he had to wear them because of his crazy sharp nails.

Which made even less sense cause couldn't he just clip them?

Miroku made himself a cup of the coffee Kagome had just completed and stood off to the side. It left Inuyasha with a clear shot to her. He hesitated, and she got back to cooking, only to have him stand right next to her. "Kagome… there's something I need to tell you…."

She set the tools in her hands down and faced him. He was super close as if he wanted to whisper what he had to tell her. She already knew Miroku knew (whatever it was) since he was the one to ask Inuyasha to tell her. But with the way he was fidgeting -while Miroku was cool in the corner- it must be something that would affect Kagome far more than Miroku.

"I should have told you a while ago… the thing is… I…" he froze. Inuyasha's mouth hung open with his eyes stuck on Kagome. It was like time froze with him, and Kagome struggled to breathe while she waited for the world to start spinning again. "I asked Miroku to take you to school; that's cool, right?" Inuyasha spoke as if trying to catch up with the missed time.

The world wasn't the only thing spinning; Kagome's brain was dizzy from the lack of oxygen and confusion. That wasn't really what he needed to tell her, was it? "Um… sure."

Miroku's face told her it wasn't what he had planned for Inuyasha to say to her. Or that he had agreed to take her to school. But he adjusted quickly and silently, walking away with his coffee to another part of the house. It was large enough; they didn't have to see one another most of the time. Kagome contributed that to why she only saw Inuyasha the same amount as she used to. The only new thing was breakfast, but they only seemed to spend mealtimes together. The rest of the time was spent apart, but that wasn't all Inuyasha's fault. She was at school, the hospital, studying, or working.

"So.. uh… what are your plans this weekend?" Inuyasha asked when they both sat with a plate of food before them.

Kagome had friends, but she never spent time with them outside of school. She never had the time and now wasn't any different. "I'll visit my family and study. Why? Is there something you need me to do?"

"No, no, nothing…." He muttered.

"Sango says you haven't seen her in a while," Miroku added, appearing again with his cup empty, "she's worried about you."

Inuyasha growled under his breath. "I'm going to spend time with her this weekend…."

"Is that all? That's not a lot of time. And with your guest, you really should be spending more time with her..."

"It's all I'm giving right now! It'll be enough; Sango'll be more than satisfied."

The two had their strange argument while Kagome kept her head down. She had been wondering if Inuyasha had a girlfriend. He was handsome and mysterious. Of course, he did. Now, she would probably have to meet Sango so she could remain here. Because, what girl would be okay with their man living with another woman? Unless Kagome was so low on the pole that Sango didn't consider her a threat? Some people were secure in their relationships; maybe Sango didn't care?

Kagome found herself wanting both; to be a threat, so she wasn't a nothing in Inuyasha's mind but also not, so she didn't have to meet the woman her boss loved.

It was a strange place to be, but in the end, it was all just jealousy. Kagome didn't know why but she didn't like the feeling; being jealous of Inuyasha's girlfriend. It was why she hurriedly finished her breakfast and gathered her things. In the end, she had to wait for Miroku to get his ass in gear, standing beside Miroku's car and shifting her weight on her heels. Inuyasha was saying something to him even as Miroku extracted himself from the house. Kagome watched from a distance, not knowing what they were saying and straining to hear for some reason. It wasn't her business, but Kagome just couldn't stop herself.

The car ride started in warm silence until they hit the main road. Then Miroku sighed in relief for some reason and relaxed in the seat in front of her. "Whew, I didn't know if I was going to make it today!" It made no sense to her, but Kagome was in a foul mood since the mentioning of Sango. "So, Kagome dear, how are things living with Inuyasha?"

"Things are… fine."

"I'm assuming you haven't had anymore… bad nights? Since you haven't run screaming from the place…."

"I didn't run screaming! And even if I did, you would have too. Inuyasha was terrifying!"

Miroku chuckled at her. "I agree. I would have run screaming too. And I'd be lying if I said I never ran from Inuyasha when he got in one of his moods."

Looking out her window instead, Kagome thought about the man they were discussing in earnest. "But… he's not scary. The opposite. He's really…. kind. And even though he was some kind of rage monster that night, he apologized and hasn't done it since."

"Even staying there at night, you haven't been scared or threatened?"

Now she glared at the back of Miroku's head. "I have, but Inuyasha didn't have anything to do with it! The house is a little creepy at night, and he stays in his room after dark. So it's a little lonely but nothing I'm not used to!"

"Are you going to find somewhere else to live? Since this one is so… creepy?"

She hadn't considered it. Maybe she should have, but when Miroku suggested it, it just made Kagome defensive and angry. "The house may be creepy, but I'm not about to punch a gift horse in the mouth! Inuyasha saved my ass! And if he has a problem with me living there, then he should tell me to my face, not send his friend!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Inuyasha didn't send me to say anything! I was just asking for your sake, not his. You don't have to stay there -live with him- if you don't want to." Miroku cried defensively.

"Oh," she whispered, "sorry I just…."

"Awfully defensive there, aren't we?" Miroku was looking at her in his rearview mirror with a smirk on his face. "I suppose it's natural to get so worked up over one's employer?"

The grin on his face told Kagome he was kidding. Since she had never felt protective of any of her other employers in the past, it wasn't natural for Kagome, which had to be why it felt so weird now? "As I said, he saved me. Of course, I'm defensive. And I have nowhere else to go…."

"Is that the reason you're staying?"

Was it? Yes, of course, it was! Even if she found another place to live, those guys were still after her. And Inuyasha was right; it was only a matter of time before they started targeting her family. That's what she should focus on; how to get those guys off her back and keep them away from her family. Not how she did or didn't feel about her boss.

oOo

Her first weekend in her new home and it was… long. It was only Saturday, and already Kagome was bored. She had spent the better half of the day studying and on her homework. Now that it was night, she didn't have anything to do.

Normally, she would visit her mom. But Kagome wasn't sure that was a good idea anymore. Souta was there now, too, so she really should stay away. She couldn't go out because those guys were likely to show up again. She could only watch stuff on her phone (since there was no tv here).

Inuyasha hadn't been home all day. That didn't help Kagome at all, being alone in the creepy house and figuring he was spending the day with his girlfriend. He had been around on weekends in the past; why was now so different? Had Kagome's presence messed up Inuyasha's schedule? He wasn't going to 'see' Sango as he used to, according to Miroku. Was that because she was here?

Kagome shook her head, laying on the new couch that had appeared a few weeks ago with her phone in her hands and hovering above her face. She wasn't even watching, overthinking about her boss again. It was getting annoying how much her attention went to him even when he wasn't around. She attributed it to why she saw Inuyasha's golden eyes staring down at her now. Except this wasn't her imagination or another one of her dreams.

"What are you doing?"

This was real; Inuyasha was hovering over Kagome while she laid out on the couch. She instantly sat up, and he stepped back. He was in sweat pants and a t-shirt with his gloves and hat on again. He never seemed to have the top of his head exposed, and he hid his hands as often as he could. "I was just… watching something."

"On your phone?"

"There's no tv here."

Inuyasha scratched at the back of his head, careful not to knock his hat even a little, and Kagome observed. "There's one here. It's in my room. I can… move it down here for you?"

"No, it's fine…."

"Seriously, I don't mind…."

Inuyasha was already backing away to get the promised tv. She jumped to her feet and followed. "Is it a big tv?"

He shrugged. "I guess so?"

"I'll help you then."

Inuyasha stopped and faced her quickly. "It's fine; I can get it myself."

She should let it go and give Inuyasha his privacy. But no part of her wanted that, so Kagome continued to push. "Look, if it's a big screen, you can't carry it by yourself. Strong or not, it's gonna be tricky maneuvering it." Kagome didn't know what was coming out her mouth, but Inuyasha didn't stop her from going around him to the stairs. "Privacy or not, you need my help. And… haven't you seen my room? It's only fair I get to see yours."

The short spell Inuyasha had been under broke, and he chased after her, coming up right behind her on the stairs. "I haven't seen your room… since you moved in…."

Kagome rolled her eyes but also sheltered her breath. She couldn't believe that worked, Inuyasha moving around her to get to his door first but not keeping her from entering in behind him. Kagome was getting a deeper look into her boss, and the excitement she felt from it… was more than it probably should be, but she couldn't shake it! Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stepped through the threshold.

The first thing she noted? The room was huge! Easily four times the size of hers. It was as if Inuyasha had knocked down walls and expanded the space. His bed was on one end; black walls and red sheets.

In contrast, the other end was a workout room. In the middle was a large desk that was covered with computer screens. It split the two spaces and stood out hard.

"That's where I work." Inuyasha pointed at the desk even though she was already staring, hence the explanation.

The tv was on the bedroom side, and Kagome dragged herself away from all the interesting things in Inuyasha's room to help him. "What do you do for work?"

"Stocks."

Oh. So he was a daytrader? That was… impressive but not what she expected. Although, Kagome wasn't sure what to expect. It did make all this odder because her room and Inuyasha's room didn't fit the rest of the house. Inuyasha's room looked like a rich kid's wet dream, while the rest was a nightmare. Kagome's room was like a cute bubble.

The two of them got the rather large tv downstairs and set it up. There wasn't cable, but there was the internet. And it was a smart tv.

"So…" Inuyasha started, his voice full of odd tension, "why aren't you… out somewhere tonight?"

Kagome shrugged, looking through her options to watch. "Well, I have a bunch of assholes tailing me that whenever they find me will probably tear me to pieces. I don't think I should be going out any time soon."

"What about your mom?"

She looked at her fingers wrapped around the remote; Inuyasha's intense stare was felt on the back of her neck. "Souta is with her. She'll… be alright. And if anything changes… I'm close enough that I could make it before…."

Kagome stopped there. The words were unwilling to leave her throat, so she choked on them instead. She wasn't sure if he caught on or just felt like moving on since Inuyasha didn't press about sudden silence—only that he wanted to end it. "I guess you're stuck here, ain't ya?"

"If they ever showed up on campus, I would have gone virtual by now."

"Maybe... You should? Go virtual? Then you wouldn't have to go out at all. Until this is all settled, that is."

Kagome landed on a movie and squealed. Inuyasha had a pained look on his face when she glanced at him, but she didn't think she'd been that loud. Maybe her voice was just that annoying? "Look! I love this movie!"

"La Belle et la Bête? Seriously?!" He growled.

Now she hesitated on playing it. "You don't like it?"

Inuyasha was staring at her; his eyes were searching her face, but what could he possibly be looking for? "It uh… hits a little too close to home."

"How?"

He said nothing more, sitting back on the couch and silently agreeing to join her. Which was good because she wanted him to stay with her but didn't dare to ask. "It's in French." He pointed out after the first few scenes. "Do you understand it?"

"A little. I need practice for school anyway. Does it… bother you?"

Inuyasha slumped down, grabbing his cap as he did to make sure it didn't go anywhere. Kagome couldn't stop herself from staring at it and imagining what could lay beneath it. "No." That was all he said, and they continued to watch in silence.

She was glancing at him from the corner of her eye as much as she could; until it got to Kagome's favorite scene, that is. "Cela peut t'aider à oublier ton passé mais je ne peux pas." Kagome said with the actress on the screen. "Do you know what that means?"

The rush she got from the film was embarrassing but unavoidable. It was all made worse with Inuyasha next to her for some reason. As if he made her heart rush faster while listening to the characters declare their words of devotion. Watching them fall in love was hard with Inuyasha so near. And yet, she looked at him when she asked; Inuyasha's eyes were on her and locked her in his hold. "It means Belle wants the Beast to face his past."

"You speak French?"

Inuyasha shrugged like it was no big deal. While Kagome crowed inside, knowing a little more about the man next to her. It wasn't much but add in all the other things she had learned this evening; she had seen his room, and now this, it was enough to feel a bit closer to him.

Staring back at the screen, she watched as the pack of thieves entered the magical woods. Protected by the gods of the forest, they had no chance of escaping with their lives. She was going to comment on it, but when she turned to look back at Inuyasha, he was asleep. With his face slack, he looked like a little boy, trusting and innocent. It made the gloves on his hands look even stranger.

Carefully and slowly, she removed his gloves. Then stared at his large hands for a few seconds. The sharp tips he had on the ends of his fingers were… odd, but (for some reason) they didn't take away from the attractiveness of his hands. They were large; his knuckles were a bit bruised, and Kagome wondered how he hurt himself. Regardless, they were manly, and she always liked that when it came to men's hands.

Now, she stared at his hat. It was pushing it, but it couldn't be comfortable to sleep in. No matter how worn it was. Kagome had already removed his gloves to help him be more relaxed. However, she wanted Inuyasha to have a good sleep. She also just wanted to see the top of his head. It was an itch that wouldn't go away until scratched. So she slipped her fingers under the cap and slowly began to pull it off. But then hands grabbed her wrists hard, so focused on what was under the hat, Kagome missed Inuyasha waking up. Now he growled under her while she remained frozen (nearly straddling him didn't help either), and her body flared with a flush. His anger was apparent; he was pissed. And yet, she couldn't let go of his hat in hopes of pulling it off and revealing him at last.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

She shrugged, hoping to play it off while her heart did somersaults. "I'm just… trying to help you…."

"Help me?!"

"Yeah… you know? Be comfortable?" Inuyasha's eyes widened a little, and she watched them swirl with colors. "You fell asleep, and I just thought… that the gloves and hat would be uncomfortable…."

Inuyasha sighed and kept his hold on her wrists. "Thanks. But I'm fine. I don't need you to care for me…."

"But… I do. Care. About you." She stumbled.

She didn't think it was possible, but his eyes went even wider, and his grip on her lessened. He still pulled her hands away from his cap, though, releasing them when they were safely away from revealing his head. Kagome didn't even notice, watching Inuyasha as he watched her, his eyes large as he looked over her face. The only other thing she caught was how his apple danced for a second. It was like he was nervous for some reason.

He broke away from their staring match and grabbed her hips, carefully slinging her back to the couch next to him. Only to pop up right after. "I'm going to bed."

Kagome watched his back as he disappeared (broad and manly too) and listened as he climbed the stairs. She quickly followed but made sure they didn't cross paths on their way to bed. For a while, Kagome stared at her ceiling, lost in thought. Her mind replayed the events on the couch over and over again, including going into Inuyasha's room. He had been reluctant, but his room was clean and impressive. And when she tried to slip off his hat, her fingers remembered the soft silk that was his hair. Inuyasha's hat doesn't hide unruly locks or a bald spot.

She wasn't sure what Inuyasha was hiding, and she might never know. But her goal from here on out was to see the top of his head. Kagome wouldn't be satisfied until she saw it, and there was no part of that she felt was rational.

However, she couldn't eliminate the need, so she would just have to take the risk.