Alrighty everyone, it's time for another story by Ama! As if Guardian Angel wasn't enough to take up my time I'm writing this story now! Except this one's going to be a bit more a pet project and not as frequent as Guardian Angel…. Well, maybe we'll see how this goes, eh?
Just so there's no confusion, the basic summary of this story's plotline is this: It's set in around a present-day type era, except youkai and humans live together. However, due to the fact that there are a LOT less youkai than humans and that they're different there's a lot of prejudice against the youkai and they don't have many rights and are discriminated and all that, with stupid stuff like curfews, can't eat in certain places, can't sit in certain places, have very little influence in politics, can't have certain jobs, etc. It sucks.
So basically, as always, a poor little hanyou's gonna have a harsh time. So Inu-Yasha has spent most of his life trying to make a name for himself and help youkai become part of the community. He and Kagome have been friends since they were around 3 (they're around late teens, early twenties right now) and live in a general mixed community that's not as bad as most of the world but still pretty discriminatory.
The rest will be explained in the story so I won't bore you to death before the chapter's even started but I hope you enjoy it ^_^
Disclaimer: I won't say it! Sue me! I DARE you!
Chapter 1 A simple mistake"Oh..." Kagome groaned, staring at the pile of papers in front of her. "This would be why I hate my job." She mindlessly shifted through them, briefly glancing them over and finally decided it would take her around five hours to get it done. She dropped her head until it banged on the table. "Stupid Carson… he's dumping this on me on purpose."
All she'd do to learn more about becoming a lawyer. She couldn't believe the employment programs the system had about desk jobs like law. Becoming a secretary of all stupid things, and night classes three times a week! Night classes! And she was supposed to survive this? Why couldn't they just have school after high school with courses that specifically applied, rather than this stupid method? Well… at least she got paid, instead of having to pay a school.
She found one paper and nearly crushed the stress ball she had been toying with. "A city case!? Oh, now I know he's doing this on purpose." She grumbled and dropped the paper on the desk. "And I have what, two days to do all of this?" She sighed. "Well, I guess it's not that bad. I guess that I'll just… procrastinate until around two 'o' clock this morning. I'm still young, I should have time to party." She bunched all the papers together and piled them on one corner of her desk, getting up and stretching. "Besides, it's movie night with the gang!"
Grabbing her bag she glanced at the clock, decided that since she was early she could squeeze some time in to shop and quickly left the messy apartment. She'd clean up later… yeah, later.
She stepped off of the elevator and waved to her friend behind the desk. "Hey Sango-chan, how are you? Up for tonight?" She asked, sitting on one of the stools by the desk. Sango looked up from her computer, giving Kagome an apologetic shrug. "Sorry Kagome-chan, but I have work to do. I can't make it tonight I have this entire paper to turn into my boss by seven tomorrow morning." She fixed her ponytail, something she always did when she was stressed.
Kagome leaned across the counter. "A paper? For accommodation management or whatever it's called? Sango-chan, it's Tuesday! Movie night? Remember? Don't leave me all alone with the guys!" She gave Sango her most piteous look and the brown-haired girl laughed.
"Sorry but I can't. Besides, if it makes you feel any better Houshi-sama's not going." Sango tried to sound sincere but couldn't help but smirk as she said that. Kagome frowned as she tried to think of what Sango was implying and decided to bug her friend back.
"Sangoooo, his name's Miroku! Say it with me now: Mi-ro-ku. Not Houshi-sama, okay? Just because he's a bit older than us and already has a job doesn't mean we have to treat him like our bosses or something!" She grinned. "And why isn't he going? Keeping you company?" She poked Sango in the shoulder.
The older girl blushed and quickly shook her head. "Hell no, he's going drinking or something with his work. I'm not letting him come near me while I'm working!"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Work, work, work, that's another reason why I hate this society. It's so work orientated! Sango, we have like sixty more years to live and work! Why do we have to do everything when we're just out of school? Life doesn't begin or end at eighteen. Or nineteen or twenty or whatever."
"Easy for you to say, you have an easy job. M–Houshi-sama's a doctor and I'm trying to get into hotel management. All you have to do is a background check on people and you could do that in twenty minutes on the internet."
Kagome caught Sango's slip of the tongue but shrugged it off with a wave. "Twenty minutes. Right, I wish. Carson's working me like a dog." She sighed. "So it's just me and Ears tonight? Phoo and I got some really great movies."
Sango glared at her friend. "Not more horror movies, is it?"
Sango was deathly afraid of horror movies, for some odd reason. Even stupid old movies that couldn't scare a two-year-old managed to freak her out. It was like in a past life she had been a mouse or something. Of course, it may have something to do with her past and the accident that left her orphaned but Kagome didn't see what Godzilla had to do with that. Kagome put on her innocent face. "No…. of course not…"
Sango frowned as she glared. "Another reason why I won't be going. You and Ears have fun."
Kagome threw up her hands. "Fine! I'll just go and be stuck in a house with a psychotic cat-chaser for God knows how long and if I don't come out of it alive the first person I'm coming to haunt it you."
The finger Kagome was waggling at Sango didn't seem to faze the other girl. She patted Kagome's hand. "I'll bring an exorcist."
"Or how 'bout Miroku? He's always saying he's a monk." Kagome quickly ducked the book Sango threw at her. "I'm going, I'm going!"
"Not until you pick up that book and give it back to me!" Sango shouted after her.
Kagome walked down the street, revelling in the sun. Summer came far too slowly and vanished far too quickly and Kagome wanted to enjoy it while she could. It was her favourite season, with the plants in their fullest and everything was bright and happy and warm. Her birthday being in summer had nothing to do with it. Absolutely nothing.
"Hey Kagome-chan!" A small boy waved as he rode by on his bicycle. Kagome waved back cheerily. Having grown up in a small town much like this she was much more comfortable here then she would be in the city, where she had to work. It was a good thing Miroku worked close to her because she could get a carpool in and Miroku couldn't grope if his hands were occupied with steering. The houses were close and the neighbours were closer, even people like Kagome who lived in the apartments. It was like a television type-cast suburban town and she lived a wonderful life.
And this town's better than most, she thought as she turned down a street. Youkai, generally discriminated in cities and another towns close by weren't as looked down on in this town. Most of the youkai had lived here for years but still prejudice managed to remain in that they all lived in the smallest townhouses and none of them had very good jobs short of one who was the assistant doctor. Still, it was better than most.
Kagome walked past some townhouses until she came to a little one with a blue trim, 'The Dollhouse' as she and Sango called it. The occupant of the townhouse was Kagome's best friend since childhood, a loner and complete opposite of Kagome. In fact, short of movies and human blood there were few things they had in common. But he couldn't be blamed for his behaviour; other than Kagome, and when he moved to this town with her, Sango and Miroku he had had no friends because of his heritage. His father was a youkai and his mother, a respected politician no less, was a human. There had been arguments followed by riots followed by his parent's death. Unwanted by both races he bounced from foster home to foster home until Kagome's family picked him up when he was four. Although the two made terrible foster siblings they were great friends and fought/played every day. He was Kagome's saving grace from bullies and she was his from everyone else.
"Hey Ears!" Kagome called as she knocked on the door. "Come on out of the Dollhouse, there's a good boy!" Her fist hit air as the door suddenly opened, revealing glaring yellow eyes. Their owner, a lean young man in loose clothes with long white hair, glared at Kagome. "If you're going to keep up with the stupid nicknames and dog references I'm not going to let you over anymore."
Kagome smiled. She knew he was bluffing, since they went through this every time she came over. Instead she patted him on the top of the head, between the two canine-like ears that poked out of his hair, signalling both his youkai blood and the reason for his 'Ears' nickname. "Good boy." She said in a baby voice as she entered the house. "Sango's not coming over." She said, dropping her purse on the little table beside the couch in the tiny den. "And you haven't even bothered to clean up."
"It's my house I'll do what I want." The hanyou stuck his tongue out at her and flopped on the couch. "You're not my mother."
"Considering I'm younger than you and the fact that I'd never let my baby be so ugly, no." She shot back. "Ears, do you have to get so temperamental about everything?" She asked when he started growling.
"No." He muttered. "And stop calling me Ears. My damn name's Inu-Yasha."
"Ears." Kagome said, reaching over and flicking one of them, making Inu-Yasha swipe at her but miss. "Hey, Mom named them. Could have been worse, we could have named you Lassie."
"That's a girl's name!" Inu-Yasha protested. Kagome just giggled and pulled some DVDs out of her bag. "Well, I brought the movies, where are the snacks?"
"What 'bout Sango?" Inu-Yasha asked, not moving. Kagome kicked his leg to try and get him moving but he wouldn't budge. "Sango-chan's working tonight, the lousy bum." She said while prodding him. "C'mon, where's the snacks?"
"Fridge. You know how to open it, don't you?" Inu-Yasha stuck a thumb out over to where his equally disastrous kitchen was located. Kagome crossed her arms and then gave up. "Fine!" she protested, storming into the kitchen.
"You give up to easily, that's your problem!" Inu-Yasha called out at her.
"Shut up Ears!" Kagome shouted back coming out of the kitchen with some frozen ramen dinners. "These are your movie snacks?"
Inu-Yasha nodded.
Kagome sighed. "And I suppose I have to cook them too." Again Inu-Yasha nodded, a dark grin on his face. Kagome sighed and turned back to the kitchen. "And this would be why we let Miroku bring the food."
"Hey, not my fault the damned bouzo's out drinking and making passes at women who are too far out of his league." Inu-Yasha said, picking up Kagome's movies. "What's your fascination with all these demon hunter movies?" He asked, looking at the vampire movie he had plucked out. "Hoping to scare Sango again?"
"No, that's what the Doraemon movie was for." Kagome replied from the kitchen, causing Inu-Yasha's pointed ears to twitch. He quickly shifted through the rest of the titles to make sure she was bluffing. "And I don't know what I like about those movies, I just have… I have a sense of familiarity about them I guess."
"Maybe in a past life you were a youkai killer." Inu-Yasha snorted and Kagome threw a wet noodle at him from the doorway.
"Not funny Inu-Yasha, you know how I feel about those people." She said, watching her friend pick the noodle out of his silvery hair. "That's why I'm becoming a lawyer."
"I don't even know why you're trying." Inu-Yasha said with a flat voice and a shrug. "Nothing you do's gonna change society."
Kagome sighed. She hated it when Inu-Yasha got like this and they argued about this over and over again. "Inu-Yasha, if I can manage to get this right passed then it could mean a great thing for everyone. Not as many people are youkai-haters as they used to be; they just don't know any other way and think that if they acted against the 'flow' then they'd be shunned."
"Like you?" Inu-Yasha asked, putting the DVDs into the player as Kagome entered the den with the steaming plastic ramen cups. She handed one to Inu-Yasha and sat down with her own. She patted his head. "Ears, if you're gonna be so cynical then maybe I'll just stop trying to talk to you."
"Maybe if you call me by my fuckin' real name then maybe I'll stop being so cynical." The half-youkai grumbled as he took a mouthful of ramen. "Now watch the damn movies." He said, picking up the remote and turning the first one on.
The waxing half-moon shone in the night sky, surrounded by tiny little dots of stars as it illuminated the streets in the rainy fall weather. The girl ran as fast as she could away from her pursuers, screaming at everyone to get in their houses, to get away before one attacker leaped into the air and fell upon her, tearing her heart out with one wrenching rip.
Kagome tried to stifle a yawn without much luck as she blinked furiously to keep her eyes opened. She never knew that horror movies could be so damned boring without Sango around. Now that she watched them on their own, she found that they were all really, really predictable. It was just Sango's screaming everything three seconds that made them interesting. Now, as she watched some random citizen get ripped apart by the vengeful, random vampire she wondered how she had ever gotten interested in these movies in the first place. And they were so blatantly racist against youkai at that. She rolled her eyes. She should have found out that Sango wasn't coming, so she could have rented better movies.
A finger jabbed her in the shoulder and she quickly snapped awake to look at Inu-Yasha, who looked slightly amused. "You were falling asleep, dolt." He said. Kagome frowned and tried to get in an uncomfortable position so that she'd stay awake, even through these boring movies. Inu-Yasha chuckled at her tenacity and waited a moment or so. Sure enough Kagome's body began to fall asleep and she had to move before she became pins and needles. As she began to drift on and off again even while sitting straight up the hanyou finally gave up and threw a pillow at her.
"Just go to sleep dammit. You're making me tired just watching you."
"Then watch the movie." Kagome grumbled back but her friend was firm.
"Sleep. Now." He ordered, shoving the pillow back in her direction. "You have that homework to finish, don't you? You're not going to get anything done if you're like this." Kagome gave another yawn in response. "See? Now get some rest. There's only an hour left to this movie and then you can go home and get sleep."
Kagome gave another mutter as she gave in and rested her head on the pillow. "I hate you, you know that?" She grumbled as she tried to keep her eyes open. Inu-Yasha hit her on the head with another pillow. "Just shut up. I'm trying to watch the movie." He said. Kagome finally gave up and closed her eyes. She was asleep in seconds.
Sango stared dully at her computer screen, bored to tears and absently wondering why she was also given the graveyard shift on the same day this damned paper was due. She yawned and almost drifted off for the hundredth time when she heard the door open. Quickly she sat up, not wanting to be caught sleeping on the job, but she couldn't see anything at first. Then she peeked over the desk and smiled.
"Shippo-chan, why are you here so late?" she asked.
The tiny fox youkai child hopped a few times before grabbing the edge of the desk and climbing onto it. He belonged to one of the worse off youkai families, with shoes that were too old and clothing that was too big, but he had big heart despite his size and was always helping Kagome out in her attempt to get better rights for youkai. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed into the apartment, so his visits to Kagome's home were always only in the foyer and only at night.
The chipper fox child presented Sango with a folder and sat there proudly, shaking his fluffy tail that proved his heritage.
Sango took the folder and briefly glanced at the papers. "For Kagome-chan?" She asked. Shippo nodded. "Kagome asked me to find these people and their names and so I did." He said, scuffling through the pockets in his tattered vest before beaming triumphantly. "And I got this for her too!" He said, pulling out a small chain, slightly decorated with lint. The golden chain was tarnished and the heart on the end was chipped, but Shippo had obviously went through a lot of trouble to find it. Sango patted the boy on the head, smiling. She knew he liked to be petted the way Kagome did, but to Sango petting someone who looked so human was just… weird.
"That's so sweet Shippo. I'm sure Kagome will love it." She said, taking the chain offered. "I'll give it to her tomorrow morning, okay?"
"Okay!" Shippo nodded brightly. "Where is Kagome?" He then asked curiously.
"Over at Inu-Yasha's." Sango said. "I'm supposed to be there too but I have this paper to finish."
Shippo's face turned childishly serious. "Inu-Yasha's? Is anyone else there?"
Sango smiled slightly, seeing where Shippo was headed. She patted his head. "Shippo, you're too young to be thinking about stuff like that."
"But I don't want a brother!" Shippo whined.
"Too young." Sango sighed. "What are your parents teaching you?"
Shippo grinned mischievously. "We are fox youkai."
"You're going home, that's what you are." Sango said, turning back to her computer. "I have this paper to finish by sunrise. I'll give this to Kagome when she comes home, okay?" Shippo eyed her for a moment and then hopped onto the ground, not looking convinced as he slowly made his way to the door. "Are you sure that nothi-"
"Home." Sango said firmly, pointing at the door, and Shippo quickly left but not without a grin on his face. Sango sighed and went back to her typing, trying to remember where she had left off before just giving up and bringing up a game of Solitaire.
Kagome was quiet sure what woke her up, the annoying chirping of the cricket or the annoying squealing of the DVD player as it protested to being left for so long. She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes and tried to sit up, only to find that she couldn't. Questioningly searching for the answer to the problem, she quickly realized that there was an arm wrapped around her waist and it's owner didn't seem to be letting go anytime soon. The fact that she was still in Inu-Yasha's house didn't bother her one bit, if any it calmed her. She and Inu-Yasha used to share a bed when they were younger and he had always done this until they got a teddy bear for him, and then two beds in two rooms when they got older. But that had been years ago and she hadn't even slept in the same house as Inu-Yasha for over three years, much less this close.
Carefully taking his first and third finger and spreading them apart Kagome managed to loosen the hanyou's grip enough to wiggle out before he woke up, so she could turn the DVD player off so it would stop it's insistent whining. Or at least that's what the plan was, before Inu-Yasha, still fast asleep, decided to change things around. With an irate grumble he gripped Kagome tightly and shifted position, ending up with Kagome, ironically and embarrassingly, on top of him. Kagome squirmed to get out but in his sleep Inu-Yasha was a persistent bastard and wouldn't let oblige. Finally she decided to resort to the last measure and wake him up.
"Inu-Yasha!" She hissed. "Inu-Yasha, wake up and let me go!"
Inu-Yasha snored.
"Inu-Yasha!" She said louder. "Dammit, wake up!" When again there was no response she got violent and slapped him full across the face. "INU-YASHA!"
"Na-eh-what?" Inu-Yasha blinked, waking up suddenly from the shocking pain. Not fully awake he saw Kagome above him and sat up, startled. The result was two very bruised foreheads.
"Ow!" Kagome sat back, rubbing her throbbing skull. "What did you do that for? I wasn't doing anything!"
"Holy fuck, don't do that." Inu-Yasha interrupted her, grabbing his chest as he caught his breath. "You scared the fucking shit out of me."
"Hey, you were the one using me as a teddy bear." Kagome accused, wincing as she touched the sore spot. "I thought you grew out of that habit years ago." She fixed her ruffled clothing and glanced outside, frowning to see that it was pitch black with just the flicker of one dimly lit streetlamp. She hadn't been asleep for as long as she thought.
Inu-Yasha caught on to her implication and his trademark ears turned a light shade of pink. "Well, maybe sleeping with you was nostalgic or something." He muttered. Kagome gave a mischievous grin. "Or maybe our little Ears just can't stand sleeping without Snuggly-Wuff!" She said, naming the teddy bear of old. Inu-Yasha's ears turned redder as he protested. "Hey, waitaminute, I do not sleep with him!"
"Ears sleeps with a ted-dy, Ears sleeps with a ted-dy!" Kagome sang, jumping out of the way of his claws as he swiped at her.
"Cut that out!" Inu-Yasha growled, getting up to chase after the teasing girl.
"Teddy, teddy, teddy!" Kagome chanted, dodging his attempts to silence her. "Teddy, teddy, teddy!"
"I'll teddy you if you don't shut up!"
"You already have, remember?" Kagome said, flicking one of his ears. In a flash Inu-Yasha grabbed her wrist, twisted it and used her momentum to grab the other, pining her back against him. Kagome squirmed. "Hey, using martial arts is no fair!" she whined. Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, grinned.
"I got you to stop, didn't it?" He smirked. With that Kagome took in a deep breath and began shouting at the top of her lungs. "TEDDY, TEDDY, TEDDY! TEDDY, TEDDY, TEDDY!"
"Dammit Kagome, shut up!" Inu-Yasha hissed, flattening his ears. He let go off her and she immediately silenced, grinning at him. He glared back and fixed his ruffled clothes. "Stupid bitch." He muttered.
"What? What was that, teddy? Did Snuggly-Wuff hear you swear? Little Ears shouldn't swear, now should he?" Kagome was having a field day now. Inu-Yasha glared at her and then grinned. Kagome froze; that grin wasn't good.
"Fine Kagome, you play your way, I'll play mine." He growled darkly. Kagome let out a 'meep' and bolted with the half-demon right behind her.
"This isn't fair!" Kagome wailed as she clamoured up the stairs. Inu-Yasha bounded from the first step to the top of the stairs, startling Kagome into nearly falling. Quickly she turned on the spot and ran in the other direction, throwing herself over the railing when Inu-Yasha jumped down to the bottom of the stairs again. Ducking through the doorframe into the kitchen, she quickly positioned the table between herself and Inu-Yasha.
"You think that's gonna stop me?" The boy's dog-ears twitched with amusement, flexing his claws. "You'll screw up sooner or later; and I run faster."
He faked a run in one direction, sending Kagome scuttling in the other before Inu-Yasha turned to meet Kagome on the other side. Squealing Kagome raced to the opposite end of the table. A peculiar type of stalemate had occurred for the moment, giving Kagome time to catch her breath. Inu-Yasha kept faking right and left, not allowing Kagome to stand still for too long. Finally the girl got a determined look in her eyes.
"Inu-Yasha sleeps with a teddy bear!" she shouted and bolted out of the kitchen through the other door behind her. Inu-Yasha shouted and jumped over the table, catching up with Kagome as they entered the den where the whole fiasco had started. With another leap the hanyou managed to knock the girl to the ground and sit on her, trying to cover her mouth as she continued to scream 'teddy' at the top of her lungs.
"Kagome, shut up!" Inu-Yasha ordered as he tried to put his hands over her mouth but she was either moving her head away and using her hands to block his. He kept trying to cover her mouth but when holding both of her arms in one hand Kagome effectively bit Inu-Yasha's other hand that was covering her mouth. Inu-Yasha pulled it back and swore. "Dammit, shut up already."
Kagome only grinned and began shouting even louder. "Inu-Yasha loves his teddy! Inu-Yasha loves his teddy!"
Inu-Yasha had pinned both of her arms to the floor, but that did nothing to silence her. Finally he used the last thing he had to cover her mouth: his own.
Kagome fell into stunned silence during the kiss and just stared at the hanyou as he broke it and pulled back, grinning at her. "Heh! Shut you up good, didn't it?" he smirked, then his ears dropped in worry when he noticed she was a bit too quiet. "Eh, Kagome, you alright?" He asked, getting off of her.
Saying nothing Kagome stood up and went to the door, getting her coat. Glancing outside Inu-Yasha quickly placed himself between Kagome and the door, crossing his arms. "You're not going outside." He said simply.
"Inu-Yasha, let me out." Kagome said forcibly, not looking at him. Bemused and worried by this behaviour, Inu-Yasha stubbornly held his ground and shook his head. "It's as dark as sin out there and who knows what kind of freaks are in this neighbourhood. Either you let me walk you home or you stay here for the night."
Kagome was silent for a minute. "It's past youkai curfew, you can't go outside." She admitted.
Inu-Yasha felt a slight bit of relief. "See? And not everyone follows that rule, so just stay here for the night. I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" He asked, putting a hand under her chin and tilting her head up so he could look at her properly. Kagome seemed to be studying his face with a rare, serene expression, then she leaned forward and stood on her tiptoes a bit to give him a soft kiss. For a brief moment the pair was frozen at the bold move, until Kagome pulled away, leaving Inu-Yasha even more confused.
"Hey, are you feeling alright?" He asked worriedly, noting she seemed a bit depressed all of a sudden. Kagome hadn't gone bipolar, had she? He admitted she was a bit loopy, but never this bad. Kagome met his eyes and then turned away.
"It's nothing." She said flatly. "I guess I'll just sleep on the couch. Good night."
Inu-Yasha watched her turn off the DVD player and flop onto the couch in silence. Feeling a bit dejected, if not lost, the half-demon decided it would just be in his best interest to go to his room and see if Kagome was feeling better in the morning.
End Chapter 1
~Ama