Record Scratch, an inuyasha fanfic

"I swear Kagome, I've never even seen you and Inuyasha really act like a couple. What is your deal with him?"

The deep voice made me freeze. As I spun around, my eyes met bright blue instead of my favorite melted amber.

"What… what do you mean, Koga…?"

I watched as the wolf demon took a step towards me, his eyes focused on mine, and I found myself swallowing back my nervousness.

"I mean, you act more like friends, and if you are just friends, then I would really like to take you out."

The school hallway, normally bustling with activity, went dead silent, as all eyes turned to stare at us. You know, one of those moments that you swear only happens in movies, or… in my case, right at the worst time as everyone strained to hear the answer.

My mouth moved, but I just… I couldn't… I didn't know what to say. My mind was racing, trying to find the best way to respond. It was the question that I had managed to avoid for years, and one I was actually kind of afraid to answer because it would change everything, one way or another.

A low growl, full of menace, broke the silence as long silver hair suddenly filled my line of vision and Inuyasha stepped between us. Even though I couldn't see them, I knew his golden eyes would be flashing with irritation. I couldn't keep my eyes from trailing up briefly to the top of his head, noting that his silver ears were lowered flat to his scalp.

Yeah, he was pissed…

"Back off wolf," Inuyasha snarled, and I felt a shiver go through me. As much as I wanted to pretend it was just relief, I knew better. His tone was so strong, so daring… so possessive. And, not going to lie…

I liked it.

I stepped closer, my hand coming to rest on his back. I could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt, the strength that flowed through him.

"It's a valid question, mutt-breath," Koga shot back. "It's not like anyone's ever even seen you two kiss or do anything more than walk together."

Inuyasha stiffened; I could feel the shift of his muscles under my hand a moment before he turned, one warm hand sneaking around my waist, his claws teasing my side as he wound his other hand through my hair. My head tilted back at his urging, and my heart began to race.

Was he...

He wouldn't…

Oh please tell me he is…

His golden eyes came closer, but more importantly, his lips were coming closer and closer to mine, and it was difficult to breathe. My eyes snapped up to meet his, and I felt my heart skip a beat...

- - - - - - - record scratch- - - - - - -

You see that girl there, wrapped in the arms of the seriously hot hanyo, a moment away from being kissed? Yeah, that's me. Kagome Higurashi, senior at Shikon High. The guy holding me? That's Inuyasha, my best friend since elementary school, and my boyfriend.

Except, the thing is…

He actually isn't.

Just… everyone thinks we are together, and it's not like we ever corrected them.

It was safer that way.

There are reasons.

It's a long story.

But I… I wish we actually were. Because somewhere over the past ten years of friendship, I had fallen head over heels for the stubborn, caring, frustrating, cocky, hanyo…

But he never saw me that way—never saw anyone that way—which suited our… situation just fine.

So you may be asking yourself: then how did we wind up here? You know, that's a very good question. Because this moment… this is about to change things between us, one way or another.

To understand how profound a moment this is, how potentially life altering this is, I guess you need to know the full story.

I met Inuyasha when I was eight and his family moved into my neighborhood. There weren't many kids in the area, and it was kind of hard to miss his long silver hair and adorable ears. Even as a kid, all I wanted to do was pet them, usually earning me a scowl from him. Yet I wore him down, and by the first time he tilted his head to let me stroke the soft soft fur, he was my best friend.

We shared everything we could together: the ups and the downs. I may have pouted when his parents sent him to private school instead of public school with me, but I got over it…

Eventually.

They kept him in private school for middle school, too, but we saw each other every evening for homework, one of us more often than not having dinner at the other's house during the week. Weekends were spent together, exploring the city, watching TV, arguing over who got to choose the show.

If you wanted one of us, you got both of us. We came as a set. It was just how it was.

We had other friends come and go: I had three friends in middle school who just didn't get it; they kept insisting we would grow apart as we got older, that girls couldn't be "just friends" with boys.

The first time one of them suggested that any future girlfriend he had wouldn't want me around, I nearly panicked.

Because you see… I hadn't thought of that.

But Inuyasha had just rolled his eyes. "Anyone that is part of my life has to accept you; if they don't, they aren't part of my life ya idiot."

That had both satisfied me and strangely… hadn't.

It was the first time I had to consider that someone else could really become part of our circle. I knew it wouldn't be me bringing anyone in; I had Inuyasha, and that was all I needed. I just didn't know at the time why that was.

By the time high school rolled around, we had convinced his parents to let him go to public school with me. I think it helped that the one friend he had from his fancy prep academy had also decided to go to public school that year, but I like to think that his parents had just finally realized that it was silly to separate us.

That first year, though, is when things began to change.

Oh, not between us: nothing was changing that.

It was other people that were changing.

Because I hadn't taken into account that everyone would be fascinated by Inuyasha. Fresh meat, if you will: someone with no past, no history with anyone but me and his friend Miroku.

The first few girls who tried to turn his head were ignored; either Inuyasha didn't understand what they were trying to do (really, what did they teach him in that school…), or they just didn't interest him. He stayed by my side, a light in his eyes when he looked at me that wasn't there for anyone else.

Then, the girls got smart.

They realized that to get to him, they had to go through me, and I suddenly found myself being courted by those who wanted to curry favor with Inuaysha. The first to try and get through my defenses was Yura Nakamura, the queen of the school. She could have any guy she wanted, except Inuyasha, and he became a challenge to her.

She played me: helping me with my homework, helping me navigate the after-school activities like cheerleading, archery club, and cooking club. It would be fun, she said: a chance to work together, to become better friends. She joined us at lunch, the first person beside Miroku to be given that privilege.

Then she stopped showing up for club meetings here and there, attending less and less often. I started noticing she would sit a little closer to Inuyasha, and laugh a little too brightly at his (lame) jokes.

But it was one moment… one moment that made everything clear to me. You see, she made a mistake. A big fucking mistake.

She was touching his hair, and tried to stroke his ear.

I was told later that Inuyasha had growled and pulled away from her, but I was unaware of any of it. The moment her hand had snuck up towards his ear, I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, and I saw red… literally saw red.

She was touching what was mine.

Miroku had pulled me away; I was spitting and hissing like a cat as Inuyasha extricated himself from Yura's grip. As we walked home that afternoon, Inuyasha didn't bring it up, but the incident kept running around my brain.

Because I knew something had changed in me. Some realization. I turned to look at him as we walked, and the sunlight hit his hair just right, the silver strands gleaming, and his face was glowing. His golden eyes turned to meet mine and I felt my heart fall at his feet. It suddenly struck me why so many girls were fawning over him. The summer going into freshman year had been good for him: he'd had a growth spurt and his shoulders had begun to fill out like his father's.

He was gorgeous.

Like… seriously hot.

And I realized that it was no wonder the other boys at school seemed dull… how could they hold a candle to him?

But it was more than just his looks. I knew him inside and out; I could sense his mood with his ears, could read his intent in his eyes. He was the one I wanted to share everything with, the one who made it more fun.

The one I could see myself standing beside five years, ten years, down the line.

And that was when I knew.

I loved him.

Yes, yes, I know what you are going to say: there are different types of love. Friends love each other, family loves each other, but this?

This was Love. With a capital L.

I can't tell you how I knew… I just did.

Sophomore year brought a lot of changes, some good, some… not.

Good: Sophomore year brought us Sango, who we quickly became friends with. And apparently the summer going in had been good to me if the sudden attention I was getting from the guys in our class was anything to go by. There had been more than one morning where it had taken a growl from Inuyasha to clear a path to my desk due to the number of guys wanting to talk to me.

Thankfully, Inuaysha knew there was no threat there; they were more annoying than anything. Again, how could I see anyone else when he was there with me?

Bad? Sophomore year is where things went off the rails. Sophomore year brought in a new assistant principal, Mukotsu Shichinintia, and a new literature teacher, Suikotsu Isha, to replace one of the favorite teachers in the school, Ms. Kaede, who had decided to retire and enjoy her years with her family.

It also brought Bankotsu and Jakotsu to the school. The thought of those two still causes me to have shivers. They and their friends Ginkotsu, Renkotsu, and Kyokotsu all transferred in mid-semester, and boy, did the rumor mill go wild. If you listened in the hallways, the five were some sort of gang, in trouble for everything from drug running to murder, staying with either Mr. Suikotsu or Mr. Mukotsu (or both). And it was soon known throughout the school, well, at least all the girls in the school… you did NOT want to be called to Assistant Principal Mukotsu's office by yourself if you could help it. Find a way to bring someone with you. As for Mr. Suikotsu, well, you'll find out in just a bit.

Inuyasha heard it all, his ears picking up all the conversations going on around us. I know he hates his ears, but I love them. They are adorable and useful for intel gathering: they really are perfect. Our group of four had decided to keep our heads down and stay out of trouble… but fate had other plans.

See, I told you it was long. And we aren't done yet. Through all of this, you have probably been wondering: but what does any of this have to do with people thinking Inuyasha and I are together? Well, this is where that comes in.

Because Bankotsu, for some unknown reason, chose to focus his attention on me. What I did to get it, I have no clue; all I knew was I had it, whether I wanted it or not. Inuyasha and I did not have any classes together during sophomore year, and I am sure that if we had, none of this would have happened. But then, we wouldn't be where we are now. Because who did have at least one class with me?

Bankotsu.

And lord, did he make me uncomfortable. Would you believe that the only seat available in the classroom for that class had been the one right next to me?

Convenient, right?

Did I mention it was literature and Mr. Suikotsu was the teacher?

I didn't?

Ooops. Yeah, that's important.

And in a class where we would receive "random assignments" for projects, would it surprise you to find out I was paired with Bankotsu often?

Because I was.

Every…

Single…

Time…

He would scoot his chair just a little closer, press himself a little closer into my personal space, his long black braid tossed over his shoulder, his blue eyes lingering a little too long below my face, if you get my meaning.

One day, I made the mistake of staying after class to try and talk to Mr. Suikotsu about how I kept being paired with Bankotsu.

Why do I say a mistake?

Well, let's just say I found out who Bankotsu learned how to be creepy from, his guardian Mr. Suikotsu…and I learned about the hidden temper of Mr. Suikotsu. Turns out he was deliberately pairing me with Bankotsu, hoping I would be brought home for a "study session."

Yeah...

Inuyasha was NOT happy.

And then Sango told me that Jakotsu was pulling the same thing on Inuyasha in Spanish class.

Sango is a good friend. She talked me out of ripping Jakotsu's hair out.

Barely.

Inuyasha started walking me to literature every day before dashing to his class, only to be waiting right outside the room when the bell rang, a glare on his face at Bankotsu and Mr. Suikotsu. I started to meet him at his Spanish class, walking with him to the gym for his next class, to help keep Jakotsu away. Inuyasha eventually scared Bankotsu off, and, well… enough students finally complained about Mr. Suikotsu.

But we could not shake Jakotsu. The boy would not take a hint. He was about as clueless when it came to reading social cues as Hojo who had tried to ask me out in middle school. Jakotsu was one of those no-means-maybe and maybe-means-yes guys, so when Inuyasha told him "leave me the fuck alone you fucking psycho" apparently he heard "take me I'm yours."

I said he was weird, right?

Inuyasha and I were already walking to and from school together, but we started walking each other to each class after that, just extra protection, you know?

And that's when the rumors started.

Because high schoolers have nothing better to do than gossip. Gossip is a lot more fun than homework.

I knew something was up when I saw one of Inuyasha's ears perk up at lunch, his eyes going wide with shock. When I had asked him what was going on, his cheeks had turned a beautiful shade of pink as he shook his head. His eyes let me know he would tell me later.

Like I said, I could read his eyes.

Later turned out to be that afternoon as we sat in my living room working on our homework.

"They were talking about us, you know," he had said, his eyes lifting to meet mine over the table.

"About us? What were they saying?"

"Apparently, it's going around the school that we are dating."

My heart had stuttered… I swear that it did. I still remember the feeling vividly. Because it was my secret wish spoken from his lips, and it sounded so sweet, but the look on his face had me pausing. It was a look of concern, anger, disgust, but also consideration…

The disgust is what kept me from blurting out my feelings at a really bad time. Instead, I had gathered my wits to ask, "Why would they say that?"

"Keh, some stupid bulllshit that guys can't be just friends with girls."

"That again?" I sighed.

"Yeah."

"We can set the record straight tomorrow." I went to start my homework when movement stopped me. I watched his ears lower for a moment, the tips twitching in a way I knew meant he was thinking.

"What if… what if we didn't?" Not going to lie: my breath caught… was he… was he asking me out? Then, he continued, and my hopes crashed down. "I mean, if they think we are together, maybe… maybe others will leave us alone."

He kinda had a point. Not that it would deter everyone, but it would deter most.

So when rumors flew that we were together, we just...never corrected them.

I do want to make it quite clear: at no point did we ever actually say we were a couple, but because we weren't vehemently denying it and spent so much time together anyway, that was enough. We were the official "couple" of the school, the one that no one could separate.

Which, thankfully, did chase off Jakotsu.

And got us through the remainder of sophomore and our junior year without any hassle.

The only ones who knew the truth? Miroku and Sango, now a true couple in their own right.

And Sango knew the whole truth. Not just that Inuyasha and I weren't actually dating, but also that I liked him, that I loved him. She was the only one I could talk to about it—about him, I mean—I couldn't talk to Inuyasha about himself, that would have been weird.

So, that's the story of why people think we were dating. Turns out if you never confirm or deny anything, high school students will take that as an admission.

I bet you are asking: how does this get us to where we are now, me held closely in Inuyasha's arms, his eyes locked on mine, the lips I have dreamed about more times than I care to admit just a small, infinitesimal space away from mine?

Senior year introduced a new party to the mix.

The black-haired, blue-eyed wolf demon, Koga.

Remember how I said the rumors of us dating wouldn't deter everyone?

I was talking about Koga.

Well, that's not entirely fair. It did deter him. For a time. Koga had made it clear he was interested in me, but as it got to him that Inuyasha and I were together, he had backed away...ish. But he kept watching, and kept listening.

And then, I got stupid.

Yeah, this is on me.

It had been a long day, and Inuyasha had been at kendo practice with Miroku, so Sango and I had gone out for pizza.

And as we were eating the topic changed, as it typically did with us, to my "situation" with Inuyasha.

"Why does he have to be so gorgeous and sweet? There are times he makes me feel like I really am his girlfriend."

"I don't understand why you just don't tell him you like him, and want to date him for real," Sango had said around a bite of cheese pizza.

"Cause if he doesn't feel the same it would make things awkward," I sighed, pushing my food around the plate. Talking about it always made me lose my appetite… but then again, it helped me stay thin in high school, so yay?

"You're never going to know if you don't ask or talk to him about it."

"Sango, you know I can't."

"No, I know why you think you can't, but I think you are being an idiot."

"Better an idiot that keeps him in her life than crying in the corner losing my best friend."

Do you see where I messed up? How I caused this chain of events to happen?

We weren't the only ones in the pizza parlor. Now I know, I know, it's a public place, we should expect there to be other people in the pizza parlor, and to be honest, we did. But what we didn't think about, what I didn't check, was who was in there… namely two friends, one with a white mohawk and one with gray hair with a black tuft in the center, better known as Hakkaku and Ginta, Koga's right and left hand men.

And what they knew, Koga would know.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings us to today. The bell had just rung for the end of classes, so we were all in the hallway when it happened.

"I swear Kagome, I've never even seen you and Inuyasha really act like a couple. What is your deal with him?"

The deep voice made me freeze. As I spun around, my eyes met bright blue instead of my favorite melted amber.

"What… what do you mean, Koga…?"

I watched as the wolf demon took a step towards me, his eyes focused on mine, and I found myself swallowing back my nervousness.

"I mean, you act more like friends, and if you are just friends, then I would really like to take you out."

The school hallway, normally bustling with activity, went dead silent, as all eyes turned to stare at us.

My mouth moved, but I just… I couldn't… I didn't know what to say. My mind was racing, trying to find the best way to respond.

A low growl, full of menace, broke the silence as long silver hair suddenly filled my line of vision as Inuyasha stepped between us.

"Back off wolf," Inuyasha snarled.

I stepped closer, my hand coming to rest on his back. I could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt, the strength that flowed through him.

"It's a valid question, mutt-breath," Koga shot back. "It's not like anyone's ever even seen you two kiss or do anything more than walk together."

The moment his lips met mine the entire world disappeared. You could have set off an explosion next to me and I would not have even noticed. It was everything I had thought it would be and so much more. It took me a moment to realize I needed to respond, my brain scrambling with how to respond.

I mean, it wasn't like I had ever kissed anyone, unless kissing him in my dreams counted.

His lips lifted off of mine, and my eyes drifted open to meet his. His expression left me devastated. Hope warred with hurt, but behind them was an emotion I had forced myself to overlook, telling myself it was just wishful thinking.

Love.

My hand slid behind his neck as my eyes slid closed, drawing him back down into another kiss. His hand on my back tightened, pressing me closer as his head tilted, his lips claiming mine and the heart that had been his for years. Everything clicked as we stayed there, wrapped around each other. By the time we finally broke apart, Koga was gone; well… everyone was gone but Miroku and Sango, who both stood there with wide grins. Sango shot me a thumbs up as I buried my head in Inuyasha's chest.

"Mine," he whispered as his lips lowered to my hair, and I nodded, my arms wrapping around his waist.

"Mine." I whispered back and felt the content purr that coursed through him.

I want to say that after that, everything changed, but they didn't. Well, they did in some very key ways, but many things stayed the same.

"INUYASHA!" I dashed after the silver haired figure walking ahead of me, laughing as he turned with an exaggerated sigh.

"At some point you are going to have to start getting up earlier, Kagome," he chided, golden eyes rolling even as his puppy ears quivered, their attention focused on me as I skidded to a stop beside him, panting from the run.

"And miss my morning workout?" I straightened to push my shoulder into his before strolling down the street to school as if nothing had happened. "Come on, slowpoke, or you'll be late," I called over my shoulder, and, deciding to be extra cheeky, stuck my tongue out as I quickened my pace.

A moment later his arm wrapped around me with a playful growl as he swept me close and leapt into the air. I laughed as we flew, with me safely tucked against his back. He came to a stop a few blocks from the school and set me down, stepping away as I tried to bring some sense of order to my wind-tossed hair.

It had been our routine every day since starting high school, but today we made a slight change. Today, his hand caught mine, tugging it from my hair as he stepped close and claimed my lips with his. The whistles and applause around us made him finally pull back to glare at our passing classmates, but it didn't stop my hand from reaching for his, or his fingers from lacing through mine.

I could get used to this new routine. One that was filled with held hands and sweet kisses.

It felt different—loving, and knowing I was loved in return. It really did.

I hadn't believed Sango when she told me that, but the world really does feel just a bit brighter.

What does the rest of our story look like? I don't know yet, but I can't wait to find out.