Chapter 10: The Big Two-Parter!
Bit of an announcement before I begin the chapter. As you may have guessed from the title, this chapter is broken up into two parts. An action-packed part, and a fluffy romance part. I would have split it into two chapters, except they're both too short to stand on their own and the last thing we need is more chapters cluttering up the chapter bar. I'll announce when Part I begins and when Part II begins.
Part I: Not Him Again
"Daikonamuratsuro!!!"
Tobias whirled just in time to block two swords from running him through. A vaguely familiar figure in a black suit holding the swords glowered at him from midair, before retracting and stepping back one or two paces.
"Here comes the furious Tybalt back again," remarked Tobias. This time, there was no humor in his voice and no amusement on his face. "And in a construction site no less. Do you think you'll get an advantage here?" Tybalt snorted.
"What, you've dropped the act?" Tobias said. "Ran out of lines, huh?"
"I thought I'd dropped you," sneered Tybalt.
Tobias's eyes glittered. "It takes more than a bullet to the head to kill me, Tybalt."
"Then I'll find out just – how – much – it – takes," growled Tybalt. He leaped again and smashed his swords into Tobias's blade. Their fight was more intense than last time as they crashed their swords against each other in an attempt to slice up the opponent. Tobias's skill had increased, he seemed to be bringing out some inner reserves of strength, but Tybalt still held the upper hand.
Swords extended from both arms, Tybalt spun into a whirlwind of blades and launched himself at Tobias. Tobias responded by running up and stabbing his sword into the center of the tornado that was Tybalt. He was forced to cancel his attack as he pulled both his swords to block Tobias's assault. The joined swords stopped a millimeter from Tybalt's skull. Tybalt brought their swords up and flung Tobias off him. Tobias flew backwards, disoriented for the merest second. Tybalt didn't let him have that second; and dashed up to him, swords swinging.
Tybalt hit Tobias with a particularly punishing blow, sending him flying up the side of a building. Tobias recovered quickly, and while still flying up the building, jammed his sword into the wall above his head. He hung, grasping the handle, glowering at Tybalt. Tobias braced his feet against the wall, and pushed off. His sword came out, and he hurtled down to strike. Tybalt just barely dodged as Tobias's blow struck. A small crater appeared in the concrete where Tobias's sword hit. Before Tobias even had the chance to stand up, Tybalt was upon him again. He didn't let up for an instant. Tobias was beginning to slow down. The previous battle had exhausted him, and his reserves of strength were running low.
"Getting tired?" taunted Tybalt. "Go ahead and admit it. You can't beat me and you never could."
"You got lucky," snarled Tobias. "I'm watching for you this time, so you don't pull another trick-"
"Like this?" Tybalt finished his sentence as he held his gun against Tobias's head.
"Not again!" Inuyasha hissed. Kagome clung to his shoulder. "If he shoots him again, I'm gonna kill him."
To everyone's surprise, Tobias laughed. "I'm not worried this time, Tybalt. I know your style now. You won't shoot me unless you get the last word."
"Basically." BANG!
True to his word, Tybalt had not fired until he had his parting shot. But this time, the bullet hit the wall in front of it.
"Like I said, I know your style." Tobias's voice echoed from the shadows. "I saw that coming a mile away. I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice."
"Then fall for a different one!" Tybalt roared. He unholstered his second gun and started pumping bullets at Tobias, who ran to avoid them and put as much metal between him and Tybalt as was possible. He dashed behind a Dumpster, bulled behind a backhoe, stormed behind a streetlamp, charged behind a CONSTRUCTION-KEEP OUT sign. Tybalt just kept firing and firing at him.
"Doesn't he ever run out of bullets?" Kagome whispered. Her question was answered a second later as Tybalt ejected his empty magazines and reloaded his guns. He then resumed shooting.
Tobias ran into a group of equipment and speared an empty garbage can on his sword. He leaped out and sent the can flying towards Tybalt. Tybalt raised his swords to deflect it.
Or at least he would have, had he been holding his swords at the time. As was, he was holding his guns, and they were not nearly as effective at blocking the garbage can as his swords would have been. The can slammed into him, stunning him and sending one of his pistols flying into the shadows.
Tobias strode out and stood in front of a condemned, moldering building. "Not so high and mighty without your precious guns, are you?" he shouted. "I guess you'll just have to use your swords like everybody else."
Tybalt looked above the building Tobias was standing behind. A large cast-iron wrecking ball, suspended on a chain, hung above the top of the building.
"Gotta get this right," he muttered. Checking his pistol, he noticed he only had one bullet left. "One shot and I'm out of ammo."
"Come ON! I'm getting bored here, waiting for you to do SOMETHING..." Tobias yelled.
Tybalt raised his pistol and fired. Tobias ducked, but he wasn't the one being shot at. High above, one of the links in the wrecking ball popped as a bullet went whistling through it. The wrecking ball dropped soundlessly through the air.
"Ha! After all that, you miss. You've really lost it, Tybalt."
The wrecking ball landed with an almighty smash. The building bulged outwards, and came tumbling down with a roar.
"That was pathetic! That was-" Tobias cut his ranting short and looked behind him as the building came crashing down on him. Too late to move. Too late to react. He could only stare in awe, as what Tybalt had done raced through his mind. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome (who was white with shock) and leaped clear.
"Oh, crap."
CRAAAASH!!!!
(again, this should be in a huge font for maximum effect)
The wall and a large chunk of the building smashed onto Tobias's unbelieving form, burying him under tons of mortar and brick. Tybalt stood unmoving as the building finally stopped crashing down.
"THAT definitely killed him," he snarled. "No man could survive that kind of punishment." He turned to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Once again, I bid you farewell." He dashed off into the gloom. Inuyasha stood there, looking at where he went.
"Why didn't you follow him?" Kagome cried.
"I can't," he said slowly. "There's something about him...I can't track him anywhere. I tried last time and lost him immediately. I don't know what it is, but I can't."
Kagome had stopped listening a while ago and had run over to the collapsed building. She was frantically digging at the rubble to try and find Tobias's body. Inuyasha loped over and saw that she was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said. "He survived last time Tybalt tried to kill him, and he'll survive again."
Kagome looked at him incredulously. "That was just a bullet. This is an entire freaking building! How could he have lived through that?" She began to cry. Inuyasha started lifting rocks and tossing them aside.
"We'll find him, and he'll be okay. I promise." He and Kagome tunneled through the rubble, digging and moving. Inuyasha lifted a large boulder, and heard a slight groaning noise.
"That's him!" he nearly shouted. "It's Tobias!" Before he could move, the rocks shifted and Tobias stood up from underneath them. He was a mess. His clothes were torn, he was covered in bruises and gashes, he sported two black eyes and a broken nose. He had a large, bleeding wound on his head. His armor, however, though covered with dust, was not broken, dented, or even scratched. Tobias feebly took his sword and shoved it into his scabbard.
"That...bastard!" he gasped. His eyes rolled back into his head. He passed out and fell on his back. Inuyasha ran to him.
"He's okay," Inuyasha said before Kagome could speak. "He's just knocked out again. Any idea on how to get him home?" This time, Kagome was stumped. Her mother was at work and her grandfather didn't drive. Sota obviously couldn't do anything. There weren't any phones nearby, either.
Suddenly, Kagome had a brain wave. She reached into one of Tobias's MANY pockets, and after a bit of searching, found a wad of money. She grabbed it and ran off. Inuyasha straightened up quickly.
"Where is she going?" he hissed. Before he could get up, he heard Kagome's voice.
"Inuyasha, come here and bring Tobias!" He hefted the unconscious form of Tobias over his shoulder and sped off towards Kagome. She had hailed a taxi with Tobias's money. They loaded Tobias inside and climbed in the back.
"What happened ta him? Looks like a buildin' fell on him or somethin'," the cabbie remarked.
"Nothing...he'll be fine. Just take us to the address."
Part II: Oh, That's Not Good (fluff!)
The cab sped off. In the backseat, Kagome leaned her head on Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha stiffened for a second. Kagome didn't notice. Crap crap crap, thought Inuyasha. Is her heat never going to go away? This is infuriating. She's so close...all I have to do is reach over and...
"I'm not worried this time, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured.
"What?" Inuyasha was jolted back to reality by her words.
"I'm not afraid for Tobias. I know he'll be okay." She sat back up again and looked out the window. "I still want him to answer some questions, though."
"You and me both," muttered Inuyasha. Kagome giggled.
"Yeah, he's weird all right. What with his strength and speed, his healing, his sword, that massive explosion, and everything, when he comes to I'm gonna read him a whole list of questions."
The cab arrived at the Higurashi's. Kagome paid the driver and Inuyasha carried Tobias into the house. Mama was not there; probably at work, Kagome supposed. Grandpa had not been around the last couple of days, saying he needed to go on a 'spiritually cleansing' journey. Whatever he meant by that. Sota was at a friend's house. They had the place to themselves.
"You know, I can walk now," Tobias muttered from Inuyasha's back.
"Then do it." Inuyasha dropped Tobias, and he crashed to the ground. "Come on! Where's all that grace and skill?"
Tobias fixed him with a steely gaze. "Let's see how much 'grace and skill' you have after I drop a building on you." He struggled to his feet. His gashes and cuts were already healing. "I'm going upstairs. Gotta rest and recuperate." He walked up the stairs and into Sota's room.
Kagome went up to her room, and beckoned Inuyasha to follow her. Tobias was on Sota's bed, presumably unconscious once more. Kagome entered her room.
The minute she was in, she turned to Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha..." She shocked him by closing the distance between them rapidly. "We finally have a little time without Tobias barging in and breaking everything up. Let's talk."
Talk...or maybe do a little more than talk... Inuyasha thought. "Sure..." he said. "Whatever you want."
"Maybe we-" Kagome was abruptly cut off by Inuyasha.
"Remember this morning? Right before the beeping thing?" he murmured. "Why not just take up where we left off..." Kagome gasped as Inuyasha flung his arms out and crushed her to him, but soon wrapped her arms around his back in a warm embrace. It felt so nice to hold him this way, without Tobias interrupting for once. He lowered his head to hers. His lips brushed against hers.
He could smell her heat. It nearly drove him to the edge. He was shocked again when Kagome raised her head slightly to press her mouth against his.
She had never felt anything before that even remotely compared to the sensation of his lips on hers. Her eyelids fluttered as he slowly deepened the kiss. His tongue flicked across her lips, begging for entry. Slowly, almost shyly, she opened her mouth to meet his. The two of them slowly sank onto the bed, sitting entwined with one another.
He never would have believed that Kagome would taste sweeter than anything he had ever tasted before. Inuyasha's tongue slid up and down her teeth before rubbing playfully against her tongue. Kagome made a small noise in the back of her throat, which almost made him chuckle. Then it was his turn to make a noise as she pressed her body against his. Some part of Inuyasha's mind told him that he'd better lay off, before things got too serious. So he attempted to pull away.
To his absolute horror, he found he could not. The combination of her heat and his emotions had kicked his youkai instincts into overdrive, and his grip tightened around her, almost of its own volition.
Oh, fucking shit, this is bad. This is bad bad BAD. I have to warn Kagome somehow – but how will I tell her? – she's responding – if I get on top of her, she won't be able to sit me – dammit! I had to start this whole thing when she was in heat! What am I gonna do to stop? What am I gonna do to her?
Inuyasha's dog ears pricked up. A sound – a very slight sound – a faint cough – had sounded from the open doorway.
Inuyasha was so completely caught off-guard by this that he abruptly released Kagome's mouth and whirled to face Tobias, who had a slight grin on his face, like he could see a joke that everyone else was missing. Almost all of his wounds had healed. Inuyasha's teeth bared, his ears flattened back. He looked ready to kill something for interrupting him.
"I was going to ask where the bathroom was, but you two seem busy," Tobias remarked nonchalantly. He did not seem the least bit perturbed about walking in on them. Inuyasha gave him a glare that could melt limestone. But his angry expression began to fade as he thought. Wait...I let go of Kagome! If Tobias hadn't shown up at that moment...I don't know what I would have done. His stomach wrenched as he realized exactly what he would have done had he not released Kagome. He glanced back at her and saw her face was a shade of red that seemed more appropriate on a tomato than a human. His expression softened, and he looked back at Tobias.
Kagome looked, a little fearfully, at Inuyasha. He had just given her the most romantic contact she had ever had with any man, and now he was staring at Tobias, looking like he was going to rip him apart for disturbing them. Kagome braced herself for a long shouting tirade from the angry hanyou, but Inuyasha just closed his eyes, gulped deeply, and said, in a tone of forced calm, "Down the hall, to the right."
Tobias's grin increased as he saw Inuyasha's rage dissolve. He started to leave, then Inuyasha put out an arm and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Tobias? I need to talk to you for a minute...okay?"
"Sure. I'll be out in a bit." He left. Inuyasha turned back to Kagome. She was puzzled. What happened to Inuyasha's fury? It was like it had all drained away.
"Inuyasha? What happened back there? You looked like you were ready to rip his head off, but you became so calm. How...?" Kagome trailed off. Inuyasha averted his eyes from hers. He stood up and turned away.
Unbeknownst to Kagome (A/N: but knownst to us), Inuyasha's brain and his instincts were having a furious war for control. The instincts demanded to know why the hell he wasn't back and wrapped around Kagome, and the brain told the instincts to take a flying leap, he had more important matters.
"I need to talk with Tobias," he muttered. "I'll be back in a little bit." He started to leave. Kagome's shoulders slumped. She had just given her heart to him and he was leaving? She spoke up, timidly and with a hint of sadness.
"Inuyasha? Didn't you...didn't you like it?" Inuyasha snapped to attention, did a complete 180˚, and clutched Kagome desperately. He stared straight into her eyes.
"Kagome! Don't even think that." His voice softened once more. "It was...it was incredible, Kagome. It was...it was the best experience I've had in my life. But right now...I just need a little time...alone. I need to...work some things out." He gently released her and walked to the door.
Poor guy, must be in shock. I'll give him some time to himself, Kagome thought. She was nearly giddy with happiness. Her first kiss, and with Inuyasha. She would remember this day for the rest of her life.
Inuyasha walked into Sota's room, where Tobias was lounging on the bed and blasting away at Sota's video games. He paused the game and looked up to see Inuyasha standing there.
"You wanted to ask me something?" Tobias stood up and looked at Inuyasha. He certainly did have an odd expression on his face.
"Yeah. Tobias? Remember when you walked in and we were...remember?" Tobias nodded. He still had that slight grin on his face. "I told you that Kagome was...in heat, right? She still is...and when I went to kiss her...I almost lost it and..." He looked down.
"How? Does your demon side rise up or something?" Inuyasha gave a barely perceptible nod. "Oh. That's bad."
"So what I'm saying is, if you hadn't come in right then..." Tobias winced.
"That is really bad. How long until this heat goes away?"
"It should end around today. It never lasts for more than a day or two."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Maybe we could do something together and wait for Kagome's heat to leave."
"Sounds good..." Tobias scratched his head. "I have an idea. Want to get drunk and party?"
"Get drunk?" Inuyasha's nose wrinkled. "What's that?"
"You don't remember? The first night you met me, after the fight, you could barely stand for your drunkenness." Inuyasha's face brightened.
"Oh yeah...that was a lot of fun."
"Want to do it again? Just us guys, going out for a night on the town?"
"Yeah...but tomorrow, me and Kagome have to leave."
"Leave? For where?"
"Just...we have to go."
"Ah, the great mysteries of life. I'll get a cab." Tobias left. Inuyasha popped back into Kagome's room.
"Kagome? Me and Tobias are going out for a little bit. We'll be back in a few hours. All right?"
"All right." I don't want to rush things with him... Kagome thought to herself. I definitely don't want to frighten him away with too much too soon...
The two swordsmen got into the taxi. Tobias looked at Inuyasha.
"So, Inuyasha...what's all this about the shards of a jewel?" Inuyasha sighed. This was gonna take a while.
All right. This seems like a good place to stop. I don't want to go on forever! Tell me what you think, and BE HONEST. I've never written romance scenes before, so this is new ground to me. Any suggestions, questions, comments, REVIEW. I need your feedback or I'll just keep blundering on in my own writing style and screw everything up. And no, Inuyasha's not just gonna spill everything about the Shikon Jewel to a complete stranger. At least, not while he's sober. *evil grin*
And, I would like to dedicate this chapter to the two who have stuck around ever since I began updating regularly, Lasako and Kai19. Big round of applause for the girls, please! Read their stories. I implore you.