Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

Chapter 11

The tension when Inuyasha returned was palpable.

She had been laying on the couch trying to create a plan. She had also been trying to sort through her emotions and the strange feelings she had started to feel in regards to him when she heard the door to his room whoosh open. He was completely drenched in sweat, and he had taken his work out top off altogether. His hair had been let down and silvery tendrils clung to his damp face, neck, and shoulders. She watched his still slightly flushed chest move with each breath he took, his color slowly returning to normal after the exertion of his workout. She sat up as he stepped through the doorway just enough to allow the doors to close behind him and then he paused, looking at her.

His eyes were swirling with so many different emotions - hurt, betrayal, disappointment, and exhaustion just to name a few...but what surprised her the most was the fear.

What did he have to be afraid of? It was just a date.

He silently regarded her for a few more minutes, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to say something or if the plan was to just stare at her.

When it became painfully apparent that he was going to remain silent, she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. If he was going to stare at her stoically, then she was going to do the same.

Everything else aside, she had to maintain that he was a very attractive man - and not just due to his unique features. His facial features were striking...they were strong and sharp and defined. His brows were thick...not in an unruly way, but in a way that framed his golden eyes perfectly. His upper body was...in a word...defined. She allowed her eyes to travel down from his face to his shoulders, chest, and arms. They rippled under his skin, telling her of their silent and lethal power.

She wondered what it would be like to run her fingers down his slick chest.

His nose flared and his brows rose - it was as if he could somehow read her thoughts, and she sat up straighter.

How had her mind taken her down that path? That was the last thing she should be thinking about...and with him, no less. She was angry with him, remember? He was keeping her holed up in here while he took her to some unknown land to have her heart removed. He was feeding her lie after lie after lie…

Noticing how attractive he was...that's not something she should be doing.

Besides - she had a date later, right? So she could escape?

"I'm going to shower," he finally said, moving away from the entrance and towards the sozo box. He tossed his shirt inside and pressed a button. It was gone in an instant, and he then replaced it with duplicates of the red military outfit only he seemed to be allowed to wear. He grabbed the gear and entered the bathroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Why was she reacting so strongly to him?

She had met attractive men before...it wasn't like he was the only one in the whole universe. Yet, she was definitely acting like he was - she was reacting to him in ways she absolutely shouldn't be.

She moaned and leaned her head back, smacking it against the wall behind her with a loud thump.

She groaned and leaned forward again, rubbing the back of her head as her eyes landed on the sozo box again. She sighed as her thoughts turned back to how happy he had been when she had given him that simple pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. She was stuck living with him until she found a way off this ship…

She should try to make things right - or more civil, at least.

She stood from the couch and went to the sozo box, asking it for another pair of sweatpants and a red t-shirt just as she had the day before. Satisfied, she bit the inside of her lip and went to the bathroom, placing her hand on the door and opening it just enough to slip inside. The sound of running water instantly greeted her ears as the door opened, and she kept her eyes to the floor as steam floated out of the room towards her.

She had just wanted to surprise him - simply place the clothes on the counter by the sink and leave.

Easy peasy.

She quickly entered, hearing him muttering something bitterly under his breath as he showered. She tiptoed quietly over to the sink, dropping the clothes on the counter.

"Anata?"

Crap.

Kagome turned around towards the sound without thinking, and then promptly turned back around when her eyes took in his chest as she was reminded of his nudity.

She barely heard his bitter exhale above the spray of the shower head as she moved back toward the door.

"Anata!" he called more firmly, halting her as he turned off the shower.

She really shouldn't be here. She was crazy. She could have done any number of things other than this…

"Anata…" he breathed, and she felt him place a hand on her shoulder. Kagome jumped - she hadn't been expecting that.

"Kagome, why…here..." he asked thickly in English, and she spun around suddenly in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that either.

"You're learning English?"

He furrowed his brow in thought as if he were looking for the right words, but in the end, he simply nodded.

"Why?"

He shifted his eyes downward and blushed, either unwilling or unable to respond to her.

"Why you here, Anata?" he asked again, and she reached back over to the sink and picked up the small pile of clothes. He tilted his head in a questioning expression.

"For you," she tried to explain, holding out the clothes for him.

"Mine?" he asked softly, and she nodded her head as he gingerly reached out to take them from her. She did her best to keep her eyes on his necklace and not let them wander anywhere else.

"I...thank...you," he replied slowly in his thick accent, and she risked looking up to his face. His expression held none of the anger and bitterness it had before. Instead, it was soft...warm...caring, even. What surprised her the most, however, was the clear longing in his eyes.

"You're welcome," she replied and promptly turned to go, but was immediately stopped by his hand on her shoulder again.

"Anata?" he asked, making her turn around. She briefly noticed that he had wrapped a towel around his waist, and she internally let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes?"

"Come?" he asked, tilting his head towards the shower and she gasped, sputtering and backing away from him.

He wasn't...no way…

Inuyasha broke out into a loud laugh, and she relaxed.

Good. He wasn't. He was just playing around with her…

...yet, as he sent her on her way with a nod towards the door, she couldn't help but feel like he would have welcomed her with open arms if she had reacted differently.

Kagome turned around in front of the bathroom mirror a few times to give herself a once-over. She was wearing a yellow, flowered sundress with pockets and had pulled her hair up and away from her neck. She had a simple blue sweater on the table in the other room where Inuyasha was sitting and scowling.

He had maintained a relatively decent mood after his shower after emerging wearing the clothes she had given him...until she had decided that it was time to start getting ready to meet with Haruto. He had instantly soured and made it all too clear that he was not happy with her decision.

She looked herself over one more time and decided that she was pleased with her appearance. She couldn't keep stalling - she had to leave eventually and face Inuyasha again.

She opened the door and was greeted with the pleasant sight of him sitting cross legged on the couch, arm propped up on the side and his head resting on his fist. The sound of the door opening drew his attention to her immediately, and his hard gaze softened as his eyes roamed up her body.

She couldn't help but feel like he was drinking her in...the way his eyes slowly moved up and then back down left her blushing. The want and awe in his gaze...it was hard to look at, and she found herself turning her head to the side so that she wouldn't.

She heard him stand up from the couch and approach her, stopping on her left side. He raised a single clawed digit to her neck.

"What's this?" he breathed, carefully drawing a circle around the two silvery pin prick birthmarks she had on her neck with the pad of his index finger. The feel of him touching her there sent shivers racing up and down her spine, and heat pooled in her lower belly as she sputtered out, "I-it's a b-birthmark."

"A birthmark," he breathed, moving his head slightly away from her.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, her skin feeling hot as he circled the mark one more time before lowering his hand to her shoulder. His thumb gently rubbed her bare skin there, and her breath caught in her throat. "Kids used to tease me when I was younger - they called me Bella because it looks like a vampire had biten me."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion, so she gave him a brief, loose definition of a vampire.

"...and they bite people on the neck right where my mark is. They have fangs," she finished. "Just like yours."

"Just like mine," he whispered in agreement, his eyes pleading with her to...what?

What did he want from her?

Why did this suddenly feel so...important? It was just a silly birthmark. Lots of people had unique birthmarks.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as he leaned forward, tilting his head to the side to boldly press a gentle kiss to her birthmark. It left her skin tingling and her heart pounding in her throat. Her knees suddenly felt weak, and the heat she had felt in her lower belly before came back tenfold. His lips felt warm and soft in just the right way...why did it feel so good? So right? And why did she want him to continue...and do more than just kiss her neck?

She felt him move slightly away from her to whisper softly into her ear, "Anata...Modotte kite kudasai…"* before pulling away from her. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a shake of his head. "I don't know what came over me."

"I…" she began, trailing off at the desperate and pleading tone of his words.

A knock came from the door, startling Kagome. A dejected Inuyasha moved to sit back down on the couch. "Inuyasha," she breathed, cupping her neck where he had kissed her, and she felt warmth spread through her body.

A second knock came from the door and he shook his head, his face hardening again.

"You should go - you don't want to keep Haruto waiting."

"I...I don't," she agreed, picking up her sweater and heading toward the door.

"Kagome, wait," Inuyasha called and she paused, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know why, but she wanted him to tell her to stay. But she wanted and needed to go out with Haruto…

Why was she so conflicted?

She paused and turned around as he stood from the couch and handed her the translator and the emergency tracker. She looked down at his open palm and picked them up, placing them in her pockets as Haruto knocked one more time.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed, and he looked away from her. She was unsure of what it was she wanted to say - but she had to say something. "Why don't you sleep in your bed tonight?" she finally decided. "I don't know what time I'll be back. There's no sense in waking you up when I return."

His eyes snapped to hers, and she watched the muscles in his jaw twitch as he clenched and unclenched it in a way that left his teeth grinding together. The look in his eyes was heated and hurt again, and he just shook his head in response.

"Go, before I kick his ass," he finally growled, leaving her as he entered his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

This was already proving to be quite a night. Maybe her time with Haruto would help set her mind straight...

Her time with Haruto had done everything but set her mind straight - all she could think about was Inuyasha. His betrayed eyes...the whispered words she could never understand...that soft kiss…

Kagome sighed and leaned back on the couch in Haruto's quarters, rubbing her neck for the hundredth time where he had kissed her. The private deck Haruto had wanted to take them to hadn't been so private, and they had ended up back in his quarters. It had been a simple evening, just a shared meal and conversation in his small and quiet home.

Haruto paused, looking at her expectantly. Uh oh. He had asked her something, hadn't he?

"Yes?" she replied uncertainly, and he picked up her glass to refill it.

"I'm glad you like it - it's a specialty drink made from fruit my grandfather grows."

"It's quite nice," she agreed, trying to keep her mind on Haruto instead of wandering back to Inuyasha. Again.

"My father is my grandfather's third son, so he inherited the smallest portion of his lands," he explained, sitting down in front of Kagome. "And I am his fourth son. That's why I joined this great fleet of ships. There's nothing left to inherit...but at least now I can earn some glory," he explained, drinking from his cup. She followed his example.

"And how do you plan to earn your glory?" she asked, taking another sip as her mind began to feel blissfully clouded. Maybe this would help her stop thinking about him. She took another deep swig, trying to encourage the feeling as he just smiled mysteriously.

"We aren't well enough acquainted for that, I think," he replied, and she just raised her brow before sipping more. Perhaps she should slow down...but she needed the distraction.

"Well...that's what tonight is about, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he agreed before asking her more about herself and her home. She did her best to pay attention to him and drink her special drink, but it was becoming rather hard to focus on the conversation. The back of her neck was beginning to prickle and heat, and she found herself rapidly blinking in an attempt to keep her eyes open and remain attentive. Her limbs felt heavy...unmovable. Like lead.

This...this wasn't typical intoxication. Something was wrong. This wasn't right. She wasn't feeling right.

She needed to leave.

"Haruto, I think I should go," she said, pushing herself to her feet quickly before instantly collapsing into his arms as her world started spinning.

"Nonsense," he purred, laying her down on his couch and reaching under the table to pull out a long, sharp knife. "The fun hasn't even started yet."

*Wife...Please come back to me…

A/N:

Thanks as always to Saucy for the edits! You are a Goddess and I LOVE YOU!

Also…So sorry to everyone who reviewed! I was really bad about getting those responses out, but I think I'm caught up! If I didn't respond to you, just know that it's not personal and I'm so sorry for missing you!

House keeping: If you like the work that Saucy and I do, I would encourage you to take a second to head over to Feudal Connection on Tumblr, and vote for us! It's the second post on their page (AND YOU DON'T NEED A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!) Saucy and I are up for Best AU/AR, and there are SO MANY other amazing stories that you should vote for / read that are up for awards too! You can also do:

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Tomorrow, Wednesday 2/12, is the last day to vote!

The AMA is now over…but if you want to see any of the questions and responses, you can find them on my tumblr page by searching for ask me anything!

Next chapter goes up Friday, 2/14 (Valentine's Day), and it's a doozy!

Until then!

-Lemon Lush

A/R:

To Kat: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it if you did! Thanks for leaving this story a little love!

To Lola1991: RIGHT?! I seriously want one….Can I preorder a sozo box somewhere?! Surprise! Nothing like needing to grow a new heart….Thanks as always for the awesome review!

To Guest: I know! He has so many feelings that he can't really express….but in this way, he can at least comfort himself a little. Thank you so much for your review! We loved it :D