Whoopsie. Forgot to add the little opening and closing tag things when I first uploaded. Oh well. 9 reviews! *Bursts into tears* You love me! You really love me! Just a few more and I put up the next chapter! Oh, and to Kai19: You know, that's not a bad idea...*grins evilly* TO THE STORY!
Chapter 6: A Whole Lotta Things Happen In This Here Chapter
A minute later, a taxi drove up to the street nearest Inuyasha and Kagome and honked until they got in. The cabbie was a gruff, surly, bearded man who chomped on a stubby cigar.
"Some guy called Tobias sent me here," he grumbled. "Gave me lotsa money to drive you home. Where do ya live?" Kagome gave him her address, and the cab sped off into the night. Inuyasha settled uncomfortably in the dingy backseat, and Kagome sat next to him. A few minutes into the ride, Inuyasha realized she wasn't talking.
"Kagome? You okay?" he asked. He turned to look and was shocked to see that she was crying. "Kagome! What's wrong? What happened?"
She turned to him with tears in her eyes. "He killed him..." she whispered. "Tobias killed that little boy."
"But Kagome-" She cut him off with a pained outburst. "He's dead, he's dead, Tobias killed him, he was younger than me and Tobias killed him, he's dead, Tobias..." Her voice broke.
"Kagome...it was for the best. You heard what they would've done to him. You know that and I know that. Please, Kagome...you have to forgive him." She tried to glare at him, but she just couldn't. She had stopped crying, but tears still glistened on her cheeks.
"Why?" she said, so softly that even Inuyasha could barely hear her.
"I...I don't know...but you should..." Now Inuyasha was thinking to himself. Why should she? I'd better tell her...I've been wondering about this myself since the moment I met him. "Ever since I met this guy, Kagome, it's like there's been some sort of...some sort of connection between us. Like I knew him once or something. I'm not sure why, or what it's about, but...I don't know. But you should give him another chance. That I'm sure of. Don't cry, Kagome. What he did was the right thing." Kagome was clearly still upset, but she managed a watery smile.
"I...I understand, Inuyasha." She rested her head on his shoulder. He almost flinched, but held himself back. Why am I so touchy around her? Didn't we just dance like this a few minutes ago? He relaxed. Putting his arm around her shoulder, the cab sped into the darkness.
A little while later, they were deposited back at Kagome's house. Inuyasha burst inside to find Mama drinking coffee. She turned to look at him just as Kagome walked in.
"Kagome, this is the second night in a row you've come in past midnight. Why do you stay out so late with this 'Tobias'?" she asked irritably.
"Mama...we just went to a movie and then we went dancing. Tobias went to his house...I guess. He got us a taxi to come home," Kagome said.
Inuyasha looked a bit puzzled. "But what about-"
"OSUWARI!"
Thud.
"What was that for?!" Inuyasha growled, annoyed after his meeting with Mr. Ground.
"Nothing. Just get ready for bed." Kagome swept upstairs. Inuyasha, puzzled, looked at Mama for an answer. She didn't have one either. He shrugged and went upstairs to Sota's room.
"INUYASHA!" Sota leaped on the hanyou's back and started jumping around. "You're gonna sleep in my room tonight! It'll be so cool! We can play video games and read comics and you can tell me all about what you do with Kagome! It'll be the best night ever!" Enthusiastic little squirt, Inuyasha thought. Staying with him will keep my mind off the battle.
*The next morning*
Sota had kept Inuyasha up all night with his games and comics and such. After a leisurely breakfast, Inuyasha and Kagome watched some TV. Inuyasha still had trouble dealing with the TV. He could never get used to the fact that there were little people inside that box. They had just started to watch Titanic when Mama walked into the room.
"Oh, Kagome! I almost forgot. There's a letter for you."
"Thanks, Mama," Kagome said blandly, taking the envelope. "Who's it from?"
"Well...I don't know. There's no return address, just a little stamp." Kagome looked at the envelope. On the place where the return address should have been, there was a small insignia of a tongue of fire.
"Oh! It's from Tobias." She ripped open the envelope. Inuyasha stirred and looked to see what the letter said. It read:
"Dear Kagome and Inuyasha,
I'm sorry about what happened last night. I hope you can forgive me for it.
...
On a lighter note, how about meeting me for dinner tonight? Around 6 I'll come over and pick you guys up. I'm leaving for a job tomorrow, so this will probably be the last chance we have to see each other.
See ya!
Tobias
J "
"He puts a smiley face on his letters?" Kagome giggled. "A smiley face? That's great!"
"Yeah...great..." Inuyasha was thinking. There's something about her today. Her scent has changed. I can't tell exactly how, but there's definitely something different about her. Kagome's voice jogged him out of his train of thought.
"He said he's leaving for a job tomorrow. We might not get to see him again," said Kagome. "Let's take him up on it."
"Sure." Inuyasha was mightily puzzled. What was this odd new scent coming from Kagome? It seemed familiar, but exactly what it was eluded him.
Inuyasha and Kagome puttered around the house until Tobias drove out in front, in a shiny black limo. Inuyasha noticed something different about him. He had this little stick in his mouth. The end was on fire, and some sort of smoke was coming from it. Inuyasha stepped closer and inhaled some of it.
He was overwhelmed by a terrible stench and started coughing and spluttering, while Tobias and Kagome looked at him oddly. "That thing's poison!" he growled. Holding his breath, he lashed out with one long claw and sliced the fire-stick clean in half. Tobias recoiled at the near attack, then recovered with an angry look.
"What did you do that for? If you wanted me to put it out, you could have just asked." Kagome moved closer to Inuyasha. He couldn't smell that strange scent of hers anymore, the fumes from the fire-stick had overwhelmed it.
"There was poison coming from that thing!" he snarled. Kagome looked at him for a second, then her face brightened.
"Well...technically, yes..." Tobias muttered.
"Oh! I forgot you didn't know about cigarettes," Kagome said. "Let me explain to you..." It took a while, but the two of them finally managed to explain to Inuyasha what cigarettes were. After she was done, she turned to Tobias.
"Since when do you smoke?"
"Since they were invented." Tobias took a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. With a practiced move, he popped the lid and flicked his wrist. A single cigarette flew out of the box and went through the air. The box went back into his pocket and his other hand pulled out a lighter and flared it to life. He caught the cigarette with his lips, lit it, then flipped the lighter back into his pocket.
Tobias caught odd looks from Inuyasha and Kagome. "All right," he said. "There's no fooling you. Since about five years ago." He inhaled some smoke, then blew it out his nose.
"How is it you smoke and yet still stay so agile?" Kagome asked.
"Just lucky, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders. "Time to go, folks. We'll have dinner when we get to the city." They piled in and drove off.
As they were in the car, Inuyasha smelled that strange scent again from Kagome. What is that? I definitely recognize it, but not what it is... He sighed and leaned back into the plush seat. Eventually, they arrived in the city. The limo sped off, and the three of them started searching for a restaurant.
"What sort of food do you like, Inuyasha?" Tobias asked. He flicked his cigarette into a garbage bin.
"Umm...I'm not sure. What kinds are...there..." Suddenly, Inuyasha finally realized what had been aggravating him these past few hours. Kagome was in heat. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in frustration.
Oh great, like I really need this. Took me long enough to realize it. Wonder why? I didn't even ask Kagome yet if she wanted to be my...what's the word? Not mate...girlfriend? Is that what she called it that one time? And Tobias is watching us like a hawk. What am I supposed to do? Make some stupid excuse? "Kagome," he said softly. She turned to look at him.
He swallowed. This is always tough. What am I supposed to say? "I..." he began, but was cut off as a bus roared past, spewing exhaust fumes everywhere. The stink overwhelmed his sensitive nose and freed him, for the moment, from Kagome's alluring scent. He coughed, then began again. "I think I left something back at your house."
"Inuyasha? What do you have that you would leave there?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha was acting strangely again. He did this every once in a while.
"Umm...well...I forgot what it is, but I know I left something. I'll just go back and get it." Dammit, girl. Why do you have to be so nosy? "I'll be back soon." He turned to leave.
"Wait!" Kagome ran up closer to him. "I'll come with you. Tobias can come too, right Tobias?"
"Yeah...sure." Tobias was giving Inuyasha odd looks.
No! You're ruining everything! "Don't worry about me, wench. I can take care of myself. I'll be back in just a few hours." Or maybe I'll get 'lost' along the way and come back when your heat is over.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome was right next to him now. "Why are you acting so weird? Is it something I did? Did you really forget something? You can tell me."
"Kagome's right, Inuyasha." Tobias had come to join them. "What's with you anyway? You look like you just caught some odd smell in the air or something." Since when did Tobias get so goddamned good at noticing these things? Next thing you know, he'll be telling everybody what it is. Tobias took a few whiffs of the air. "I don't smell anything. With my weak human senses, that's no surprise." Now he's mocking me. This guy can get really annoying sometimes.
"But wait...now that I mention it..." Tobias seemed to catch on to something in the air. "Mmm...haven't done that in a long time." He had better the fuck not be talking about what I think he's talking about. "I can smell something...it's almost enticing." Tobias began to follow this mysterious smell. "It's just about that time, too. I'm all ready for some." Inuyasha began to growl low in his throat.
Tobias walked around some more, and there was no doubt, heading towards Kagome. She was standing next to a building, utterly puzzled by the two men. Well, the man and the hanyou, anyway. Tobias approached her. Inuyasha glared at him as he came towards Kagome with a...a...hungry expression.
"I've waited far too long for this," he whispered. He closed the remaining distance between him and Kagome, and was about to grab her arm when Inuyasha leaped between them with a growl. "Oh, what is it this time?" Tobias muttered.
"I won't let you...do that to her," Inuyasha growled menacingly.
Tobias looked confused. "Do what? To Kagome? What the hell are you talking about?"
Inuyasha instantly went to the defensive. "Umm...I thought...that you were..."
Tobias pointed up. Inuyasha looked up and saw a sign that said 'Greasy Moe's House of Bar-B-Q'. "I haven't had a good pile of pork ribs in ages," Tobias said. "Kagome was standing in front of the door."
Now Inuyasha really felt stupid. Of course! I should have known that he wouldn't have been able to smell her heat. All things considered, he's still a weak human who can't see, smell, or hear anything. "Never mind," he said shortly. "You wanted to eat at this place?"
"Yeah. This should be good." Tobias almost took Kagome's arm, then thought better of it and gestured for her to go in. Inuyasha followed. At least, in here, there'll be the smell of food to cover up her heat.
"I thought you needed to get something at Kagome's house." "Shut up!"
"Tobias?" Inuyasha pulled him aside while Kagome got a table. "You want to know what's bothering me?"
"What is it?"
"Kagome's...in heat." Inuyasha muttered. Tobias had a blank look. "You know...she's getting ready to..." He gulped. "...mate." Tobias looked like he understood, but his brow furrowed.
"Humans don't do that. At least I thought they didn't..."
"I don't think other humans can smell it, but I can. It's driving me crazy." Suddenly, Inuyasha was hit by an idea. "Tobias! You know those little fiery-smoke stick things of yours?"
"My cigarettes? What about them?"
"Well...if you have one during dinner, then you can help me."
"How?"
"When I need a break from her scent, I'll tell you or something and you'll blow smoke in my face. Get it?" A look of comprehension dawned on Tobias's face.
"Simple...yet insane. I like it. Sure," Tobias said gleefully. Kagome walked over.
"If you two are done yet, we have a table. By the way, Inuyasha..." Her eyes twinkled. "It's All-You-Can-Eat night tonight."
*A few platefuls later*
"Twenty-nine pounds of pork ribs. That's gotta be some sort of record," Tobias remarked. "Where do you put it all? Do you digest it the instant it goes down your throat?" Inuyasha did not respond, but instead attacked the chocolate cakes he had gotten for dessert. Tobias turned to Kagome. "How much food does this guy eat?"
"Actually, this is about average for Inuyasha," she giggled. She looked at him, but he was deeply absorbed in his cake. At least, he looked like it.
I think this plan of mine did more harm than good. I'm practically choking to death here. He floated back into reality. Tobias was talking.
"You certainly took your time, too. It's 11:45. You'd better skeedaddle." Tobias paid the bill and they all walked out together.
Walking through the alleyways, Kagome trembled and held Inuyasha to her. Since it was dark, she did not see him bite his lip and clamp his eyes shut in an attempt to keep his cool. Her scent was right there, right there...
"Inuyasha..." she whispered fearfully. "It's midnight and there are robbers out again. I'm scared. I almost got hurt last time..."
"Relax, Kagome," said Inuyasha in a strained tone. He pushed her away, and his voice returned to normal. "I'm more than a match for any humans that are out here. None of them can take me down. Oh," he added as an afterthought, "there's Tobias too. He's a pretty good swordsman."
"And is he a man to encounter Tybalt?"
Tobias's gaze flicked up and saw a man standing on the roof of a building. He leaped down in front of them, blocking their path. In the gloom of the night, it had been hard to tell what he looked like, but the streetlamp illuminating revealed his features. He wore a skin-tight bodysuit, black except for two crossed swords patterned on his chest. He wore two swords at his waist as well.
"Why, what is Tybalt?" countered Tobias.
The man advanced on them and began speaking slowly, going faster as he went along. "More than Prince of Cats, I can tell you. O, he's the courageous captain of compliments. He fights as you sing pricksong; keeps time, distance, and proportion; rests minim rests; one, two, and the third in your bosom! The very butcher of a silk button, a duelist, a duelist! A gentleman of the very first house, of the first and second cause. Ah, the immortal passado!" He drew one sword. "The punto reverso!" The second sword was drawn. He lowered his voice. "The hay."
"The what?" said Tobias. He was going along with the whole thing with an amused expression. Inuyasha was bewildered; Kagome faintly recognized the man's speech from something she'd read.
"You'll see." And with that, Tybalt charged and brought both swords down on Tobias, who barely had time to block them with his own blade. A furious swordfight ensued.
The two combatants clashed blades like nothing Kagome had ever seen. She barely registered their movements as they attacked each other. Inuyasha watched with a practiced eye; he saw many of their styles and maneuvers and vowed to incorporate them into his own fighting style. These two were serious: when a blow missed and hit the ground, it cracked the concrete underneath. Kagome gasped, nobody noticed.
This new man, Tybalt; was not just good, he was showy. Tobias swept his sword down to catch Tybalt in the legs; the other man jumped in the air and brought one of his swords down to block. He balanced on the tip of his sword while bringing his other sword to parry another fierce attack from Tobias. Somehow, Tybalt leaped away and landed nimbly on his toes.
"Now you're just showing off." Tobias grinned. "Three fights in three days? I haven't had so much fun in a while."
Tybalt cracked a faint smile. "You think this is fun?"
"Yeah, it's been ages since I've had good opponents like you and him," Tobias said, jerking a thumb in Inuyasha's direction.
"Well, I'll be the last in that case, unless the dead can fight," retorted Tybalt. He charged at Tobias again, nearly knocking him off his feet. Tobias was apparently giving his all, but he was gradually losing ground to Tybalt. Kagome looked at Inuyasha.
"Aren't you going to help him? What if he gets hurt?"
"Feh. He can take care of himself." As if to refute that statement, Tybalt landed a slash across Tobias's back that caused him to drop to one knee and cry out in pain. "All right, wench, I'll give him a hand." Inuyasha dived in and just parried a strong downward stroke from Tybalt that would have decapitated Tobias. At the intrusion of Inuyasha, Tybalt backed off hurriedly.
"What wouldst thou have with me?" he said in a gravelly voice.
Inuyasha was confused. "What do you mean?"
Tybalt gave him an odd look. Suddenly, he was forced to block as Tobias's sword came crashing down to meet him.
"Good King of Cats, no more than one of your nine lives. That I mean to make bold withal, and as you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight." Tobias had a glimmer in his eyes as he spoke, and freshly renewed his attack on Tybalt; with a growl, so did Inuyasha.
Tybalt found himself on the receiving end of two quite deadly swords and two quite experienced wielders. Only with his two swords was he able to defend himself. He put up a good fight for a few minutes; but Inuyasha attacked with his youkai ferocity, and Tobias fought with vengeance in his eyes. It was obvious that he couldn't win. Tybalt suddenly jumped high in the air, twirling. He sheathed both swords in midair; and as he landed between the other two fighters, pulled out two pistols from some hidden pocket. One pressed against Tobias's forehead, one jammed against Inuyasha's.
"Let me introduce you to some friends that are very close to my heart," Tybalt sneered. "Just a little down and to the left, to be precise."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome hissed. "That thing he's pointing at you is a gun, and it can hurt you really badly. Just back off."
"Listen to your lady," Tybalt barked. "This isn't your fight. Leave now unless you have a serious death wish." Inuyasha growled and kept his stance. He raised his sword slightly.
"Osuwari!" Kagome shrieked.
Inuyasha smashed into the ground, growling and cursing. Tybalt looked impressed. "That's an interesting trick. Helps keep him in line, does it?"
"And as for you..." Tybalt holstered the pistol he had pointing at Inuyasha, but kept his other one aimed at Tobias.
"A gun? Isn't that sort of...cheating?" Tobias remarked, with just the slightest edge to his voice.
"Isn't attacking me both at once sort of...cheating, as well?"
"That wasn't my decision," muttered Tobias. "Besides, I thought you were a pure swordsman."
"I do what I have to do to win. There's no such thing as 'unfair fighting' in my book, just winning or dying," Tybalt countered.
"But surely you would not stoop so low as to use a pistol," Tobias shot back. "Would you?" Tybalt pondered this for a few seconds.
"Yes."
BANG!
Tobias's head snapped back from the force of the bullet. He staggered and fell on his back. His cape fluttered as he fell. He twitched briefly, and did not move again.
Ohh, this sucks. What will become of poor Tobias? Find out, in the exciting next chapter, "A Death and a Healing!"
Just kidding.