About the chapter: Well, lets see…oh, yeah…here's where things start getting juicy! Oh and there's a part in here, I think you all will see what I mean when you come to it, that I'm not too sure about. I think it might be a little OOC, but I couldn't make myself take it out once it was there. Let's see how many of you can pick it out! :)
Disclaimer: Oh, you want a piece of me? You want a piece of me?!? ::hmph:: Didn't think so.
Thanks: Well, I only got 4 reviews this time, but I guess beggars can't be choosers…not that I'm begging…
::evil little mini Emania pops out:: she's begging
I am not…oh, nevermind…whom I kidding?
Inuyasha luver: Whew! I'm glad it didn't disappoint. I wasn't sure about all the dialogue. Although I agree that Inuyasha should get a clue and that Mirouku should stop being perverted, I don't think it'd be much fun if they did, do you? ;) At least, not just yet.
Sailor Universe: gushing I'm just glad to hear from you! I thought I had lost you there for a bit! Don't worry, the thing hated me too! I was starting to get frustrated! ^_^; As for what you said about Kagome…you know, I hadn't really thought of it that way, but that's a good point. I think you just gave me something to ponder for what they would think about her…hmmm…btw: I reallyreallyreally love those types of reviews where people gimme something to ponder! :) Thanks!
Shiroryu of the Moon: hehe…it looks like the songfic might get done, since I've only gotten 3 votes on it, all of them for the songfic…(well, 4 if you count your double vote!)
Kagomesjewel: Hey! A newcomer! I always love those! Thanks for reviewing! big grin And thanks for saying it rocked. Your review has spurred me on through the haze of medication! Btw: is your im in msn, aol, yahoo?
Chapter 8: Control
"I can't control you / You can't control me / I need to feel you / So why's it evil?"
-Control, Puddle of Mud
When Kagome and Sango made it back inside the club, the boys were standing just where they had left them, as if nothing had happened. Sango cursed under her breath.
Hearing her, Kagome laughed, patting her hand. "It's okay," she said, whispering. "Two can play that game, right?"
Sango grinned. "Oh, yes. Definitely."
"Enjoy your dance, Lady Kagome? Lady Sango?" Mirouku asked innocently.
Kagome and Sango shared a look. "Immensely," they said in unison, then laughed at the coincidence.
Kagome looked at Mirouku and lifted a brow. "Oi, Mirouku," Kagome said in a sing-song voice. Mirouku raised an eyebrow in response. "What happened with Eri? Didn't you enjoy your dance?"
Mirouku shrugged. "I preferred to watch…" he wiggled his eyebrows. "The view was much better from here."
Sango was about to reply scathingly when a hand tapped her from behind. She whirled, ready to bite out a reply to whoever had dared touch her, and found the eyes of the same man she had been dancing with. He smiled at her pleasantly and Sango felt her anger deflate in the face of the niceness. "Hello."
"Hello, yourself," the man replied. "Would you like to dance again?" he asked, extending a hand.
Kagome elbowed her and nodded. "Go on," she said playfully. The man smiled at her and Sango blushed.
"Yes, I would," Sango replied, taking the man's hand. She turned back to give Kagome a smile and as the man lead her toward the dance floor again, she spared Mirouku a triumphant glare.
Mirouku frowned, and Kagome smiled to herself at his reaction. 'Way to go, Sango,' she thought proudly. 'That'll teach him.'
Inuyasha watched as Kagome swayed lightly to the music, but made no motion to leave or find her friends or join the revelers on the dance floor. She didn't look at him either. If they were back in his time, this silence wouldn't be awkward, Inuyasha thought. But as it was, the music seemed to demand something more from them and he wished he knew what to say. 'Care to dance?' he tried out silently. The imagined look of shocked surprise on her face was not pleasant. He frowned at the vision. Kagome chose just that moment to turn to look at him, as if she could sense his displeasure.
Caught off guard, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "What are you still doing here?" he demanded irritably.
Kagome bit her tongue even though the thought of seeing him flat on his stomach was exceedingly tempting. Still, she refrained. "I was thinking of who I'd dance with next," she replied pleasantly.
Inuyasha humphs. "Well, don't look at me," he said brusquely, squaring his shoulders and folding his arms across his chest because it was too close to what he had been thinking.
Kagome fumed inwardly, 'The arrogant bastard!' But fought to keep it off her face. He would not ruin her night! She schooled her features into bored sarcasm. "When did you hear me say that I was?"
Inuyasha was surprised by the heat to her words, but said nothing.
Kagome caught herself before she could say more and instead, with some trouble, she pasted the smile back on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're obviously not the dancing type, Inuyasha," she said sweetly. "And even if you were, you've made it abundantly clear that I'd be the last person in the world that you'd dance with…" she shrugged flippantly. "I may be slow sometimes, but I eventually catch on, so…" she extended a hand to Mirouku. "I'll dance with Mirouku!"
Mirouku beamed and took her hand, winked at Inuyasha, then led Kagome to the dance floor.
'What the hell is she pissed at now?' Inuyasha asked himself.
+~+~+
Kagome faced Mirouku and put his hands on her waist. "Any lower than that and you'll be windtunnel-less, got it?" she spoke sweetly in his ear so that he could hear her over the music.
Mirouku sighed. "I can control myself, Lady Kagome," he spoke in her ear.
Kagome didn't deign that one with an answer, but laughed as they began to move in time to the music.
+~+~+
Sango approached Inuyasha, holding a glass. She followed his stoic gaze until she found Kagome and Mirouku dancing easily in time to the beat. They were laughing and joking around. Sango leaned close to Inuyasha even though she knew she didn't have to. "How did Mirouku get Kagome to dance with him?" she asked.
"At least she's not dancing with that hobo freak," he said under his breath as if she hadn't asked a question.
"No," Sango agreed. "Just Mirouku."
Inuyasha never looked away, nor did his expression change. "She did it to make me jealous," he answered dryly.
Sango smiled at the tone of his answer and took a sip of her drink. "I see."
Inuyasha turned to glare at her and sniffed at the air. It smelled like a mix of fruit and alcohol coming from the glass. He wrinkled his nose. "What are you drinking?" he asked as if it smelled foul. "It smells like it should be oranges drenched in alcohol but isn't quite."
Sango looked at it and blushed as she took another sip. "The man I was dancing with recommended it." She took another sip to hide her flush. "It's called a 'sex on the beach'." She told him.
Inuyasha frowned at the name and settled back to look at Kagome and Mirouku. "I see," he said softly.
He watched Kagome and Mirouku silently for awhile when he noticed Mirouku's hands slowly drifting lower on her waist. A low growl traveled up through his chest to escape his clenched lips. Kagome calmly took Mirouku's hands and placed them back on her waist. She spoke something in his ear laughingly. He shrugged innocently as if he didn't know what she had been talking about.
Inuyasha's growl settled permanently as he watched Houjo approach Kagome from behind. The music changed into something slower, more intimate. She let her head fall back to look at him without having to turn in Mirouku's arms. She smiled, introduced him to Mirouku and waved to her friends who appeared with Houjo. He watched as Houjo spoke above Kagome's head to Mirouku and Mirouku shook his head. 'Yes!' Inuyasha thought. 'Stand your ground, pervert, don't let him dance with her!' The vehemence of the thought surprised Inuyasha, but he figured that although Mirouku was a pervert, he had a certain respect for Kagome and a deep liking for Sango…plus, Kagome was more likely to smack him if he tried something.
Kagome was laughing as the two were talking and Mirouku kept shaking his head. She raised a hand in the air in front of Mirouku's face and reached behind her for Houjo's hands, clasping them and pulling him close to her, encircling his arms around her waist from behind.
"Oh my," Sango breathed as she watched Kagome move between Houjo and Mirouku. Mirouku looked pleasantly surprised as the beat increased. He glanced at Inuyasha and grinned. Sango rose her eyebrows and looked at Inuyasha to find him gone. She looked back to Kagome and found Inuyasha at her side, taking her arm. He glared at Mirouku and Mirouku stopped moving, stepping away from her. Houjo, however, was another matter.
Sango watched, enthralled as Inuyasha physically removed Houjo's arms from around Kagome's waist. "Oh-oh," she whispered under breath. She had wondered how long it would take Inuyasha to snap…Kagome had been pushing his buttons all day… 'Well,' she thought, shaking her head. 'It must be some sort of a record, it took him almost a whole day.'
+~+~+
"Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome exclaimed, glaring at him.
"Step aside," Inuyasha growled at Houjo, ignoring Kagome.
Houjo had a look Kagome had never seen before: determination. 'Shit,' she cursed silently. 'Who knew he had a backbone?'
"The lady chose to dance with me," Houjo said calmly. "I'm sure you can't say the same so shouldn't you be the one moving?"
'Shit, shit, shit,' Kagome chanted in her head. She couldn't seem to think of anything else. "He's right, Inuyasha," she finally spoke up. "Stop this. Now," she said with more bravado than she felt. She knew it meant nothing to Inuyasha to make a scene here, but as for her…she looked around and saw people were already staring.
Inuyasha turned his golden eyes to her and even in the dark she could see the tinge of red bleeding in at the edges.
'Shit *and* fuck,' she thought. She could not let Inuyasha go demon here…
He must've seen something like understanding in her eyes because he pulled her aside and started walking to the edges of the club where he'd spotted the private rooms.
"Oi, wait a minute," Houjo said, stopping them.
Inuyasha turned to him but Kagome stood in the way. "It's OK," she said, trying for lightheartedness in her tone. "I'll be right back." She smiled at him and walked with Inuyasha, the anger seething just barely under the surface. 'How dare he?' she raged.
"Just what is your problem, Inuyasha?" Kagome exclaimed as soon as they were in the relative solitude of the private room. They didn't have much time before someone figured out they didn't belong there. She pulled free of Inuyasha's grip and glared at him. "You can't control me!" she exclaimed. "You're acting like a jealous boyfriend or something!" She pointed at him. "I'm here to have a good time and all you've been trying to do is get me to be as miserable as you are!" she crossed her arms defiantly. "You're killing my buzz so if you're just going to be bitter, then…"
"Yeah," he interrupted and the emotion in it stopped her from continuing. "Don't stay."
She blinked and some of the anger dissipated. Perhaps her words had hurt more than just his pride? She shook the feeling off. How many times had he said words that could hurt her? If she could take it, he could deal.
"Why did you come, anyway?" she asked aloud. "You made it perfectly clear that you had no interest in coming, so…?"
"You're brain really must be broken," he said angrily. "Death is out there stalking you and you're in here flirting with guys and drinking?"
She grew serious and the fight in her faded. What was left was acceptance. "Death will come when it's time," she said softly. "There's nothing I can do to change that." She looked at him. "There's nothing you can do to protect me."
"Not if you keep acting like a wench I can't," he argued.
"Not at all!" Kagome exclaimed. She swallowed in an attempt to compose herself. Why did she even have to explain this to him? Why did he even care? 'Oh, yeah…the jewel.' "You heard what the woman said." She shrugged. "So, since I can't do anything by worrying, I'm going to party and dance and have fun because when the time comes for me to face him, I will and if I can defeat him on my own, then I'll live and if I can't…" she faltered and tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. "Then I'm sorry for not being able to find all of the shards but there's nothing more I could do."
"Why are you being so stubborn?" Inuyasha asked, his voice low, not angry. "Why don't you just let me protect you?"
Kagome felt the emotion in his voice and wondered why he had to be so confusing. If she wasn't careful, she could easily convince herself that the slightly softer tone, the more hesitant pitch might mean that he actually cared. "Because you can't protect me forever," she said softly. "Because *I* need to know if I can protect *myself*." There was something in his eyes…something she couldn't…wouldn't name…it would be too easy to believe she saw something there that wasn't. But whatever it was, it *was* something she rarely saw and it made it seem like raising her hand to his cheek was normal…ok. His skin felt warm, so alive. "Let me do this," she whispered.
"And what should I do?" Inuyasha whispered back. "Watch you die?"
Kagome held back the tears. 'This doesn't mean what I think it means. You are useful, that's it,' she kept reminding herself. "Believe in me," she said aloud. "Let me try…" she trailed off. "I *need* to and if it's meant to be that I die…"
Inuyasha took hold of her hand at his cheek and the anger flared in his eyes. "I won't allow it."
Kagome smiled sadly. "There's nothing you could do."
"I don't accept that."
Kagome's breath caught in her throat. It seemed like such a… a pure sentiment, even if he was angry…maybe…maybe he really did care?
"Is it really only because of the jewel?" The look of surprise on his face made her realize that she had spoken aloud. She gasped and turned her head away, trying to take back her words by taking back her hand. Inuyasha's grip tightened and it drew her eyes back to him.
With her eyes still caught in his, Inuyasha absently pressed his cheek into her hand. Kagome's heart sped in her chest. A small part of her mind argued with her that she should calm down, that this wasn't what her heart was registering it as, but all she could do was look at him and wait.
"You smell so good…" he replied under his breath, his chest moving up and down as he took in a lungful of her scent.
What could she reply to that? 'Thanks,' didn't seem like enough and 'You, too' was lame. But she could feel the butterflies in her stomach that were ever-present whenever he pulled something like this, and all he was doing was holding her hand to the soft flesh of his cheek. It was as if whenever they touched, all bets were off…her body overrode her mind and no matter what rules she had set down for herself about interaction with Inuyasha, her body would do what it wanted and all she could do was go along for the ride.
Whenever he pulled something like this.
He'd pulled this crap before.
He could feel her confusion, her indecision. She didn't know what to do, just like when he hugged her at the well, just like…the name came to his mind but he refused to think it. She was different, she was…
He could feel her emotions start to pull away.
'Damnit!' Why had she touched him?
He pulled away from her almost like her touch burned. In a way, it did…he could still feel her heat on his skin. She had touched the side of his face where the demon marks appeared and it was all he could to keep from reaching up his own hand to the place to…to keep the warmth from fading? Maybe. What did it matter now? It would fade.
He felt the first stirrings of anger and he welcomed it, embraced it. Yes, anger he could handle.
"Fine," he bit out. "Kill yourself for all I care, but not before we find the jewel."
Kagome could've slapped herself for her weakness. That look in his eyes…it had been almost nostalgic. Had he been remembering Her? Of course he had. She really was stupid.
"I'll do my best," she said coldly, stepping to the curtain and pulling it aside.
"Where are you going now?" he demanded.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going to get a drink," she said bluntly.
"Don't you think you've drunk enough?" he questioned, next to her. He could smell the alcohol on her breath now that he was focusing on it. 'So that was why you were willing to touch me, Kagome,' he thought in his head. She was drunk.
Kagome seethed. "Yet another moment where I don't need your guidance, Inuyasha," she said sarcastically. "Don't worry, I know better than to spoil my usefulness."
She was gone through the heavy curtain before he could reply.
He started to feel…something…something like pain, something like regret, something he wouldn't name, but he pushed it down and held on to the anger. 'Yes,' he though as he watched her walk away. Anger was good. That feeling in his chest he could deal with. It was familiar…he knew how to live with it. He'd had practice before.
+~+~+
A/N: Okay, there it is. For the few wonderful people out there waiting for this, there it is…the new chapter. I don't have much else to say about this chapter. I still don't feel so well, so I guess I'll probably look at this chapter later and think 'what the hell did I post?' but here it is. I'm sick of looking at it and I want to just get it out. I'm a little unsure about the part where Kag dances with both Houjo and Mirouku…it might end up being way OOC, but I couldn't make myself get rid of it once it was there. ?? What do you guys think?
Oh, and for all the good that'll do, chapter 9 is written, it's even in the computer, but I haven't gone over it yet. sheepish grin And remember when I said that chapter 9 would be where they dance? Well…I couldn't in good conscious keep it all in chapter 9, so it looks like chapter 10 will be where they dance, which is actually already written in paper, but as you guys have probably guessed by now, from the paper stage to the posting stage has lots of stages in between…On the up side, as I edit, I might end up lumping it all together again so it's just chapter 9…I know, I know…I'm no use…I think I'll just go to sleep now. This cold has me knocked out sleep wise.
yawn Goodnight!