A/N: Sorry for the wait! I really wanted to get NLA over with first before I continued with my other fics. Here's a long chapter for you guys! It's with the two getting to know each other better. In other words, a chapter with almost nothing but fluff. Hope you enjoy! =P
.
.
.
.
.
Ch. 8.
.
.
.
"How many days has it been, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked sleepily, resting her head against her pillow.
"Two days. Just one more left before they leave us alone." Inuyasha told her from his usual sitting position by her bed.
She frowned a bit, "You shouldn't have to sleep there every night. It's not right."
"What, you suggest we try to get out the futon again?" He asked dryly. "Plus, what does it matter, I'm just a half demon."
"I thought we went over this before! It doesn't matter what race you are. You shouldn't have to sleep on the ground while I get to sleep on the bed. Maybe we can switch every other night. You sleep on the bed one day and I sleep on the bed the next."
Inuyasha blew out an exasperated sigh. "Kagome, it's fine really. I don't mind sleeping like this. It's not that uncomfortable and I don't sleep much anyway."
Stubbornly, Kagome got out of bed and sat next to him. "Look, this isn't about if it's comfortable or not. It's about equality. How can I prove my point to the world if I can't even get through to the very race I'm try to help?"
"Kagome! It's just a stupid bed!"
"It may just be a bed, but just goes to show that they can take the smallest of things and still discriminate youkai! It's so disgusting!"
"Look, I know you're becoming an activist and all, but I think you're taking this just a little bit too far."
"Shut up, Inuyasha," she said, closing her eyes and snuggling into his side. "If you're going to sleep down here tonight, then I'm going to sleep here as well."
Kagome, you stupid girl, Inuyasha thought fondly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her head under his chin before closing his own eyes. What am I going to do with you?
.
.
When Kagome woke up the next morning, she realized that Inuyasha had moved her back onto the bed. Only this time, he was curled up behind her, an arm draped loosely over her waist. She blushed when she realized that they were sharing a bed, but then, she discovered that she really didn't mind at all.
Kagome turned her face toward his and watched as he slept. Gently she ran a finger down his sleeping face. He's so adorable when he's asleep. Looking at the clock and realizing it was still in the early hours of the morning, Kagome burrowed her body into the warmth he provided and fell asleep again.
When she woke up the second time, she was alone in her bed. Giving a jaw-cracking yawn, she stretched her arms over her head and threw back the covers, pulling on a warm sweater over her pajamas to substitute the loss of the warmth from the bed.
After she'd come out of her room, Kagome was surprised to find Inuyasha in the kitchen, trying futilely to cook a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. The eggs were in a dark clump as he poked at the mess with a spatula, cursing fluently under his breath. "Inuyasha?" She asked in disbelief, a laugh on the tip of her tongue.
He caught sight of her and crossed his arms angrily, the spatula still clutched in one hand, "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you like. Just get it over with already."
Kagome suppressed a giggle and walked over to him, "Oh, Inuyasha, I'm not going to la-la-lau—" She cleared her throat to hide the laugh that was threatening to bubble out from her mouth. "You're cooking breakfast?" She tried on a different note. "That's so sweet!"
"You looked really tired and I didn't want to bother you," he grumped, not looking at her, "But… I don't know how to cook."
"Well, I'm up now, so let me help you." She dumped the blackened mess of eggs into the sink and replaced the pan on the stove. "Could you get me some eggs?"
He nodded and grabbed two eggs from the refrigerator. She cracked them into a bowl and beat them together, adding a bit of salt. Kagome poured the beaten eggs into the pan and it made a sizzling sound as it cooked. She took the spatula and prodded at it a bit. Within minutes, the eggs were scrambled and ready to be eaten. The smell made Inuyasha's mouth water. Kagome retrieved a fork from the utensil drawer and scooped up some of the eggs. She blew on it gently and offered it to her companion.
"Here, try it now."
Inuyasha sampled it and declared it edible. Kagome inspected the bacon he'd previously made and decided it too would be good enough. Breakfast was a quick affair and the dirty dishes were soon in the sink. Kagome left to freshen up for the day and Inuyasha volunteered (grudgingly) to wash the dishes.
"What should we do now?" Kagome asked once they'd both finished and had sat down in the living room.
Inuyasha shrugged, "We still have the rest of today to blow off."
"I know, how about you tell me about yourself?" Kagome suggested.
The hanyou flinched. "I don't like talking about myself."
"Oh, come on," Kagome coaxed. "It can't be that bad."
"I said I don't want to talk about myself!" He barked angrily. Immediately, he felt guilty and flattened his ears. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I shouldn't have shouted at you."
"It's okay," she reassured him, "you don't have to tell me if you really don't want to."
"No, no, it's just… I haven't talked about myself in a long time."
"Inuyasha?"
"Before I was brought here, I lived in the hidden city of Musashi. I can't remember much but I do have some distinct memories. I lived with my mother and father. Father was full inu-youkai and mother was full human. Father wasn't around very much. He was general in the army and there were lots of wars between the youkai groups back then. I remember my mother the most. She had the longest, silkiest black hair and some nights, she would let me comb it. But then, my father was killed in battle and we were booted out from the area we were living in. The youkai there really didn't like humans or hanyou, but they hadn't dared to do anything while General Inu, the Inu no Taisho was still alive." Inuyasha's eyes clouded over. "Then, Mother got sick from some disease and she died a while later. I fended for myself for years before they captured me and brought me here."
Kagome felt something tug in her heart at his story and she reached out to hold his hand. For a moment, he just stared at their joined hands, his larger one incasing her smaller one.
"Kagome… thanks for being here and listening to me. It's nice just to have someone to talk to once in a while."
"Hey, it's no problem," she told him sincerely, "You may be my youkai, but you're also my friend and I want to get to know you better. Just remember, if you ever need someone to talk to again, I'll be there for you."
Inuyasha let a rare smile cross his face. "Thanks, Kagome." They sat together in a comfortable silence before he spoke up again. "So what about you? I've told you about me already."
She shrugged. "There's not much to tell. My family was killed by a Fugitive youkai when I was little. They brought me in to keep the murder from getting out to the press and I've been living here since."
"Your entire family?"
"Yeah, but it's not that bad anymore. It was a long time ago and I've moved on." They lapsed once again into silence, but it was Kagome who broke it this time. "So, what do you want to do?" At his shrug, she suggested, "How about Scrabble?"
Inuyasha cocked an ear at her quizzically. "Scrabble? What's that?"
"It's a board game. I remember seeing it in the closet on that first day. If you'll help me again, I bet we'll find other games as well."
Fifteen minutes later, Kagome was able to find not only Scrabble, but Monopoly, Twister, and Candyland too. Inuyasha's arms were smarting a bit from having to press against the clutter in the closet, but he was otherwise unharmed. Kagome patiently taught the rules of each game to her youkai and they spent the rest of the morning playing. After lunch, they cuddled together on the small couch and watched movies on TV, bringing them all the way to dinnertime.
The two discussed the day over a meal of fresh baked bread—courtesy of Kagome—and slightly overcooked macaroni and cheese—courtesy of Inuyasha.
"I really had a fun time today," Kagome told him. "Yeah, me too. Especially with Twister. I totally beat your ass in Twister," Inuyasha guffawed.
"And I beat yours in Scrabble," Kagome countered evenly.
"Well, that's because you're more educated than me," Inuyasha said miffed, crossing his arms.
"And you're more flexible than me," she retorted, "So we're even."
"I wish we could do this again."
"Me too," Kagome agreed wistfully, "but we've still got to get out of here. We need to draw up a plan. There's no point trying to escape if we're not organized."
"I have a plan already."
Kagome's eyebrows rose, "You do?"
"Why don't we just jump from the balcony? There aren't any guards there."
Kagome sighed. "It's not as easy as that. There will be barriers around, I'm sure of it. You can't just leap off the building and expect to get away."
Inuyasha thought for a moment before saying, "I think it's time you met Miroku."
"Miroku?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah, remember? I told you before that he was the guy that could help us."
"Okay… I guess," she said hesitantly.
"Don't worry; he's okay." Inuyasha assured her before yelling out loudly, "Hey, Miroku!" The hanyou was confident that he would come and as if on cue, the youkai materialized in front of them."
"What is it that you need?" He asked.
Kagome took a step back. "Whoa, how did you get in here?"
"I am a youkai of the wind, Miss Kagome. Mere locks cannot keep me away."
"In other words, he came in through the balcony door," Inuyasha elaborated, pointing at the door they'd opened a while ago to let in fresh air.
Miroku looked indignant, but didn't deny the other youkai's claim. "Was there something you wanted or did you only call me here to insult my abilities?"
"Mr. Miroku—" Kagome began.
"Just Miroku is fine," he interrupted, giving her a dazzling smile that made her blush lightly.
"You see, Miroku, as crazy as it sounds, Inuyasha and I plan to get away from here. I don't want to live here anymore and I don't want to see Inuyasha hurt. He says we can just get away by jumping from the balcony window but I don't think it's that simple."
Miroku shook his head, "You're right. It's not. You see, on the first floor, you can't get out because either the tag will be triggered, or the security guards will catch you. Naraku can't afford to have guards stationed at every exit and every window; plus, it would make his company seem suspicious. Instead, he erected a barrier around the entire building and it won't let anything with demon blood through. If a youkai were to pass through, a strong electric shock would be delivered and security would be alerted."
Inuyasha looked baffled. "But wait; something doesn't add up. That night when Kagome was going on a date, I was able to go to the theaters. How do you explain that?"
Miroku smiled somewhat abashedly, "I can explain that. You see, I've been watching you folks for a while. It can get quite boring for a wind demon to be cooped up in here. I have to find my own ways of entertainment. That night, I was able to get a spell that would allow one youkai to enter through the barrier. The spell creates a small field of neutrality, but if too many youkai enter at once, the spell will fail and it will trigger security. The second time you came through, Inuyasha, it nearly collapsed, but luckily, the spell was a strong one."
Kagome shook her head, "I don't understand, Miroku. If you had such a spell like that, why didn't you use it for yourself? You wouldn't have to be stuck up here with just yourself to keep you company."
"I appreciate your concern, but I was born in this facility. This is my only home; I would have nowhere else to go. It's fine really. I have met several nice people, like you. Living here really isn't all that bad."
"May I ask you another question?" Kagome inquired politely.
Miroku grinned, "Why certainly, Miss Kagome."
"Where did you get that spell from?"
"I had a feeling you were going to ask me that." He confided. "I got it from Kaede, the witch."
"The witch? Don't call her that! If she was nice enough to give you that spell, you shouldn't be so rude to her," Kagome reprimanded.
Inuyasha let out a short laugh that sounded suspiciously like a bark. "Kagome, a witch is someone who makes spells."
"Oh." She blushed in embarrassment. "Can we use that same spell again?"
"'Fraid not. That was the last of Kaede's neutrality batch. She hates it when people ask her to made spells for them. However, I do know that she has a potion that will make youkai temporarily human."
"Feh. How's that going to help us?" Inuyasha demanded.
Miroku waved his index finger at the hanyou. "Tut, tut. You weren't listening to me earlier, were you? I said that only demons couldn't pass through the barrier. I didn't say anything about humans."
"Wouldn't it just be easier if it didn't let anyone through?" Kagome questioned.
"It would be logical, but then, think of the people who might approach the barrier, not knowing its purpose: little children from the park, passersby, and even inspectors from the government and such. It would seem very suspicious for the company if people found such a deadly barrier protecting it. Secondly, it wouldn't make sense for a human to jump from the balcony, even if it was on the second floor. There is a reason why the first and the second floors are so far apart."
"So if humans can't get down, how will we?"
Miroku smirked, "I have an idea, but I'll tell you tomorrow. For now, just get some rest and I'll meet up with you in the morning." Without waiting for a response, he gave them a last smile and disappeared.
Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "You know, I think we should turn in now. It's only 9:45, but we might as well get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
"We're going to try to escape tomorrow?" Inuyasha asked in surprised, raising one eyebrow.
"Of course not. We probably won't for another week. If we do something right away, Naraku just might still be watching us. I don't want to chance that. But let's sleep anyway. I'm a bit tired."
"Okay," Inuyasha conceded. "I'll take the floor today and you can't get the bed."
Kagome sighed in exasperation, "Oh, not this again."
"Well what do you want to do?" He exploded. "Unless you want to share the bed again." They both blushed at the same time.
"Well… maybe we can try to get the futon out again. When we got the games today, I think I knocked it a bit loose."
"Alright," Inuyasha sighed. "But if I get hurt, I'm blaming you."
Kagome giggled and agreed to his terms. They did manage to get the futon, though they had a close call when a spare pole for the window curtains nearly came down on the hanyou's head.
Once they'd settled down on their respective beds, Kagome reached down and gently threaded her hands through his hair.
He turned to face her, "What is it?"
"Nothing. I just really like your hair." She played with the forelock that covered the place where a human ear would have been. Slowly, she moved her hand up until she reached one of his velvety, triangular ears. She rubbed it tenderly and a low rumbling unfurled from the back of his throat. She smiled as he leaned further into her touch. The purring that he was making soothed her nerves and she felt herself slowly drifting away. Inuyasha too felt drowsy as her fingers continued to stroke his ears slowly and it eventually lulled him to sleep.
.
.
.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::[][][][][][][][][][][]::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
.
A/N: How was that fluffy chapter eh? Sorry if Inuyasha seemed a bit OOC, but after all, he's getting to know her better and he knows he can trust her already so he's letting a softer part of him show. He'll be back to normal in later chapters though! So don't worry if this nice Inuyasha isn't to your liking.
:::::{}{}{}:::::
Review Responses:::::{}{}{}:::::
katie keita: Thanks! So you like my originality, eh? Well, I'll take that as a compliment. I also hope that I make it to the end, but what with wonderful reviewers like you, of course I'll make it! AnimeBrat: I was going to update Into the Darknessfirst, but then, I got a sudden inspiration for this fic, fortunately for you. =P There will be more Mir/San stuff, but probably not that much. I don't know if it's just me, but Mir/San moments sort of bother me when I'm reading an Inu/Kag fic because I'm always rushing to read the Inu/Kag parts =P I hope you don't mind. X-with stars: I hope I didn't make you wait too long! I really wanted to finish NLA first. But how about this chapter, eh? Didn't you think it was about the fluffiest chapter of all my works? I wanted to work in a kiss at first, but then I realized that this might be the 8th chapter, but I didn't want to rush things. Gin: Yup! And I hope fervently to keep any and all writer's blocks away! Defafaeth Mechqua: Er… thanks for the review? =P Fiery Demon Fox: Yeah, that's totally what I meant =P Sorry, I think I was in a bit of a rush when I was writing that review. Hope you liked this chapter! It might have been dangerously teetering in the OOC range, but I was in the mood for fluff. Hope you were too! Urei-Sama: Nope, nope, nope, that chapter was definitely longer =D Yeah, sorry about that, I didn't want to go into details because I was afraid that I would be repeating myself with words like 'elevator', 'room', and 'office'. I really hate it when I repeat myself so I just go with the shortcut =P Thanks for your opinion though! I'll try not to do it next time. Mistress Koishii: Thanks! Your questions do require a bit of a spoiler, but it's not that big a deal, so I'll answer them. Yes, they will be going together. It'll be just like the regular Inuyasha group except without Shippo. I don't know if it's just me, but Shippo always was a tad annoying to me when they were traveling. They'll probably meet him in Musashi, so don't worry! And this update didn't take that long did it? Only three weeks… Heh heh. Engelina: Thanks! Hope I didn't make you wait too long! sandywai: Thanks so much! =D You like fluffy fics, eh? Well what did you think of this chapter? Yeah, I don't like rushed romances either. I hope this wasn't too rushed for you. This chapter was somewhat of a filler and for them to get to know each other better. They'll escape eventually, but probably not for another chapter or so. Don't quote me on that one. comicfancat: Thank you! Well, stick around and you'll know what will happen! ::hint, hint, nudge, nudge:: silentslayer: Well, you'll just have to read to find out eh? Thanks for the review =3 Moonlight-Miko: Thanks! Did you like this chapter? I think it's the fluffiest I've ever written =P