A/n: I'd like to make a very sincere apology to all of you who've been waiting for my update. I'm very ashamed that it's taken me nearly a year to update this story, especially with you guys sending me such wonderful reviews about how much you love it. Thank you all for your patience, and please, please don't flame me too horribly because it took so long. (or because this chapter was disappointing _ )
Warning: this is story is not supposed to make sense. The characters are usually OOC, the plot is an AU, and, in fact, this is mostly a PWP anyway, so don't get pissy because I have a tendency to go all over the place with the storyline. If you don't like it and you want something more structured, read something else. Don't attack me because it's not what you want. I'm writing this story for the fun of it, and while I'm perfectly capable of writing something WITH plot and substance, I have made a conscious choice with OUR HOUSE to just go wild. Just thought you should know. ^_^
Disclaimer: come on, you know I don't own Inu-Yasha.
OUR HOUSE Chapter 9:
' 'V' is very, very extraordinary.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning lay warm and welcome across the gently snoring figures tucked so comfortably together on the pale rose-colored blankets. The room was alight with a dreamy golden haze that only those mornings of complete bliss seemed capable of manifesting. The sweet scents of jasmine and rose drifted lazily in the sunbeams with the dust, falling gently, only to be scattered by the even breaths of those that slumbered so peacefully on the bed.
Eyelids adorned by luscious silver lashes fluttered, and the eyes beneath searched through some swiftly fading dream for the last vestiges of sleep. The man inhaled deeply again, pressing his face into his pillow, not wanting to wake.
Wakefullness came, however, and bit by bit, his awareness stretched, and his brain attempted its first computation of the day...
Something smelled wonderful. He inhaled deeply again, and corrected himself; His pillow smelled wonderful. He pressed his nose into it, snuggling his face closer and breathing contentedly. Mmmm...his pillow was also warm. Warm and smelling so strongly like jasmine flowers he could almost taste it.
He hugged his pillow tighter, smiling slightly. God, he felt great. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up feeling so refreshed. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time his pillow had felt so good.
He opened one eye to look at the clock, hissed, and closed it again. "Goddamn morning sunlight..."he mumbled, pressing his face deeper into the welcoming warmth of his pillow. He couldn't handle that much light in the mornings. He needed darkness. Pitch black, lovely darkness. The kind you could cut a knife through. Yeah, darkness was sounding real good right about now. Darkness, and maybe some food.
Except that he really didn't want to move. His warm, comfy, sweet smelling pillow was just too attractive to let go of, and he could deal with all that golden light if his pillow would just hold still-----
His eyes flew open. Wait...hold still?
Amber eyes stared, uncomprehending, as a golden world gone double merged into one bare shoulder and the spill of silken black hair above his head.
And quite suddenly he was aware of several other things; His arm was thrown across the curve of a waist, his hand tucked just beneath the swell of somebody else's breast, and his face was pressed into the middle of another human beings smooth back.
Further inspection revealed that (presumably in his sleep) he'd curled himself around this person's tender sleeping form, so that his entire lower half was very thoroughly molded against theirs, and their legs and feet were tangled together.
Blinking in drowsy confusion, he settled back against her, pressed his cheek to her back, and listened to the even sound of her breathing. Okay, think. Think, think, think. What the hell had he done last night? And who was this?
Very carefully, he eased himself up into a sitting position, and stared down at the girl he'd been using as a pillow.
She had long black hair that fell into her eyes before spilling out behind her onto the pillow. Beneath the hair, he could see a soft-looking pink mouth, the lips parted as she breathed. Her nose was small and pert, her eyes large and fitted with thick lashes, her eyebrows dark and brooding.
She was annoyingly adorable in her sleep, so cute and flushed and completely vulnerable. Waking up next to someone like that would have been great if he'd known her. Too bad he had no idea who the hell she was.
He flopped back down onto the bed, all his early care not to wake her forgotten. She bounced slightly at his sudden movement, and then sighed as she settled, making a noise so undeniably cute as she snuggled back into the covers that he wanted to cuddle her.
Damn.
He scowled at the ceiling. This just wasn't fair. This was unusual, and this wasn't fair.
He replayed last night through his mind diligently. Okay, he'd driven out to Miroku's Summer House. He'd gone into the house, brushed his teeth, and gone to bed. He hadn't gotten drunk. He hadn't brought any adorable, snuggly women home with him. He'd just gone to bed! So what the hell was going on???
The woman in question decided on that very moment to moan softly in her sleep and roll over.
He found himself nearly nose-to-nose with that softly pouting face, and he froze completely at the sight.
Shit, shit, shit. If he hadn't brought her home, and she hadn't snuck in, then that would mean she was there first, and he'd snuck into bed with her without realizing it. Now that would be a Very Bad Thing for him if she freaked out when she found him lying there next to her.
...that is, if she found him lying there next to her when she woke up...
Eyeing her sleeping face for any possible signs of wakefulness, and judging by her deep breathing that she was very much asleep, he carefully began to edge his way off the bed. Delicately, he unraveled his feet and legs from hers, trying not to revel in the silken texture of her skin, and how it seemed to caress him as he pulled away. He groaned. God, was he really that desperate that he had to be turned on by the feeling of some random girls legs brushing his? Had it really been that long since his last girl?
Scowling, he continued to slither off the bed, and nearly cried when she made yet another soft cooing sound in her sleep. He gritted his teeth and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Yes, dammit, it had been that long.
Blah.
Stupid world.
It was then, as he had an arm and a leg over the edge of the bed and was about to make his getaway, that his foot decided to get tangled in the sheets. Even more unfortunate, however, was that he was off-balance when this happened, as half his body was leaning over the edge of the mattress, and he ended up falling off the bed and hitting the floor with a loud, undignified thump that surely woke his slumbering bed partner.
He also took most of the blankets with him.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
And double damn!
He lay there, breathing heavily, trying to swallow his rapid pulse, and straining his ears for the slightest hint that she'd woken up. Long seconds passed where the only sounds he heard was that of her soft breathing and his own pounding heartbeat.
He waited perhaps a second too long to crawl out of the room, because the instant he decided it was safe to move, was the very moment she decided to moan in her sleep.
The sound nearly stopped his heart. Shit, was she waking up??
He stared wildly at the edge of the mattress, expecting at any moment for her to roll over and come face to face with him and start screaming her head off. And that would be bad. He winced at the thought. No, that was not what he wanted to happen at all.
But she didn't roll over. She just continued to make unhappy little sounds. He raised an eyebrow. Was she dreaming, then?
Another minute passed and she continued to make those noises, but wasn't moving.
And then she spoke. "No...don't..."
His ears perked up at the words. She had to be dreaming.
He had a thirty-second battle with himself before curiosity won over caution and he peeked over the edge of the bed.
There she lay, in short pajama shorts and a slightly unbuttoned top, hands clutching the sheet beneath her, back arched slightly, faced scrunched up into a heavy frown.
His eyes widened to the size of saucers. Wow.
With her back arched like that, her toes curling, her legs a little spread, and those soft moaning sounds forcing their way through her clenched teeth, she looked like she was in mid---
No! Bad boy! Must not think such things! You don't even know her! Bad! Bad!
Despite the mental slaps he was giving himself, he couldn't bring himself to look away. It was quite a sight. After all, it wasn't every day he got to see a highly attractive young woman in short-shorts and a scant pajama top wriggling around on his mattress when he first woke up in the morning.
He hung his head. Damn. It really had been too long. His mouth was already dry and he didn't even know her.
And then she started whimpering.
His head jerked back up and he stared at her, finding on her face a look of pain and rage. His eyebrows shot up further. Woa, bad dream. Poor girl.
Well, he reasoned, even so, her dreaming was no reason for him to get caught. She could wake up at any moment, and now that he was out of the bed, it really was in his best interest to leave immediately.
He turned his head, reaching for his duffel bag and making a small move towards the door, when she let out a soft cry of pain that froze him. Ah, no, don't start with the pained noises, girlie. Not now, when he was still so vulnerable to her feminine charms.
*Whimper* *cry*
He hung his head in defeat. Damn his chivalrous nature. Dammit it all to hell.
Slowly, grudgingly, he turned around and stared at her. She was thrashing slightly, writhing around and looking more than a little frightened. Gloomily, he climbed back onto the bed so that he sat beside her, and cautiously slipped his hand into hers, hoping to bring some comfort to her. Her hand tightened in his as she whimpered, sweat puckering on her furrowed brow. He smoothed her damp bangs out of her face, and sighed. Well, hopefully she would calm down and not wake up in time to watch him leaving.
Kagome was dreaming.
She knew it, because there was a sense of wrongness to where she was. As if she was supposed to be partially cognizant there through some malicious intent of her mind. Which was odd, because she normally wouldn't inflict that sort of thing on herself. No vast spaces of hollow darkness that echoed with evil laughter. No, Kagome was not a dreamer of bad things. Her dreams usually involved giant bowls of steaming oden that she would swim in as she feasted, or endless supplies of pocky just waiting for her to devour, or...bunnies and stuffed monkeys and...stuff of that nature. Kagome sweatdropped when she realized how fluffy all her dreams were. Jeeze, when did she become such a sissy?
Meh. Regardless of her usual silly dreams, she couldn't disregard the fact that for two nights in a row she'd had bad dreams. It was highly unusual, and not something she wanted to dismiss, especially since she was in another bad dream.
She shook her head. She also had to admit to the possibly that this dream wasn't actually that bad. Sure, it was dark and gloomy and a little creepy, but it was her dream...maybe she could brighten it up some?
She scrunched up her face and closed her eyes, wondering as she did it if it was even necessary. It was a dream, after all. She kept her eyes closed, though, as she brought an image of oden into her mind. A great big, steaming, deliciously scented bowl of----
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
She faltered, and blinked. What the...? That hadn't come from her. She was sure of it. But it not coming from her wasn't possible. So then how...?
She heard laughter all around her. Deep, rumbling, and particularly male, laughter. Her eyes widened. "Sweetheart, this just isn't that kind of dream. You can't chase me away this time. No one is going to wake you up." Kagome felt that voice run across her skin like a sweaty caress, and she shivered, her skin tingling in wake of the contact. Who was doing this??
"You mean you don't remember me?" the voice pouted, "I remember you, sweetheart. I remember your taste..." She felt a hot tongue run along her neck, and the sick feeling in her stomach spread up into her throat. What in the---
"Ah, Ah, Ah, Kag-chan. I wanna feel you beneath my hands again..."
Someone elses hands found their way under her blouse, fondling her skin possessively, locking her in place with a grip that burned. She struggled, that sense of utter wrongness choking her, and with a great wrench, flung herself free of her captor.
She whirled in the dark, stumbling over her feet, his laughter chasing her footsteps. Outrage ran through her hotter and faster than blood, and she lashed out at whoever was taunting her. GoawaygoawaygoAWAY!!!
He continued to laugh, and actually made a soft tut-tut at her behavior.
It was that soft reprimand that gave the voice away.
//Kouga.//
"Ooh, look at you. Didn't think you were gonna figure it out, darlin'. Well, I'm glad you proved me wrong. Wouldn't want to have a stupid woman, now would I? Wouldn't look good to the gang."
//You sick fucking bastard. Get out of my head right now or I'll cut you in half! Better yet, stay here! I'll have a hella good time kicking your lying ass!//
He chuckled. The bastard actually had the gall to chuckle. Ooh, she was going to kill him!
"Kagome, Kagome. You poor, silly girl. When are you going to realize that you can't beat me? I own you. You are mine. The sooner you realize it and come back to me, the better off you and your family will be."
She lunged at darkness, snarling at his laughter. He wasn't anywhere. He had no substance, no self. How was she supposed to strangle a ghost??
//I'll never be yours again, Kouga! It's over between us. I despise you.//
She put as much loathing as she could into the words, and lashed at him with them.
To her surprise, she felt him recoil in pain. Triumph flared within her. Ha! Take that!
Something struck her full in the face, sending her sprawling into a tangle of limbs on the floor. His anger hit her in scalding waves, flattening her, leaving her quivering and whimpering in rage and fear. She lashed out again, striking blindly with her emotions---and all at once the torrent of rage he'd been channeling at her stopped. She strained her ears and listened, panting slightly, adrenaline singing through her veins.
Suddenly he laughed again, and this time she was sure it was close by.
She opened her eyes, and found him staring down at her, looking grimly amused. His handsome face had that stupid self-important smirk that she had grown to loathe.
Her face contorted with rage. //You sick BASTARD!// She swung her fist to pummel him, but he caught her wrist.
His face was peaceful as he held her down. His hand clamped down on her other wrist even as she thought to move it, and Kagome found to her dismay, that for some reason she couldn't move any of her limbs anymore. He stroked her wrist, his expression of lazy contentment never shifting.
He leaned close to her, breathing in deeply. She cringed away from him, disgust curling in her guts. And to think she ever liked the man...God. Maybe she had temporarily lost her mind or something. There was no way she was such a bad judge of character that she didn't see Kouga had this in him.
"You have such a valiant, fighting spirit, Kagome. Even in your dreams, you're proud and strong." He leaned closer, staring deeply into her eyes, his mouth a scant inch from hers. She could feel him breathing, feel the heat radiating from him. He nuzzled her cheek. "I like it."
//get off me, Kouga! Get off me right now!//
He ignored her and continued to nuzzle her, taking in a deep breath as he did so. "Have you ever read that children's book, 'if you give a mouse a cookie'?"
She rolled her eyes. //what the hell are you talking about?//
He continued on as if she hadn't spoken. "Every time that little boy gave the mouse a cookie, the mouse wanted more and more, and there were consequences every time."
He's completely insane, she thought. Completely and totally off his rocker.
"Well, you're my cookie, Kagome, and I'm the mouse. I just want more and more of you, and I'm going to have my fill, sweetheart. Whether you like it or not." The last was said so viciously that she felt it tear through her skin. She whimpered again through clenched teeth, trying her damndest not to give him the satisfaction of her suffering. She gathered her rage again, preparing to strike the loony bastard and kick him the hell out of her mind, when suddenly, a calming presence filled the gloom of her dream.
Kouga shoved her away from him, hissing and yowling like a cat drenched in water.
Kagome got to her feet, staring at the dreamscape as it began to steadily brighten with an amber light more beautiful and more comforting than any dawn she had ever seen. Kouga was fading before her eyes, looking wild with fury. He was a wisp of fighting black smoke, a phantom, a shade, and she knew with complete certainty that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to hurt her when that golden presence was there. She laughed at him then, grinning as his form spun into non-existence. //Not so proud now, are ya, Kouga?//
"I'll get you, bitch! And your little dogs, too! Don't think I can't sense them! I'll teach you to cheat on me! I'll-----"
The amber light flared up with a blinding brilliance, swallowing his shrieking shadow, and spitting him out of her mind. The light rose and rose over her like a tidal wave, and as she stretched her head up to see, she realized that there was no limit to it. That never-ending light rose above her like a sea of wonder, and she craned her head back further to watch the edges of it sparkle and gleam with promise.
And when it crashed down on her, she was smiling peacefully.
When she was making those cute little whimpering sounds, he hadn't really regretted staying to make sure she was okay. When she started growling and writhing about, he was more fascinated than annoyed. Even when she started throwing herself around on the bed and right into his lap, he wasn't bothered. Wasn't every day a beautiful girl wriggled around in his lap, after all.
It was when she started lashing out at him like he was trying to kill her that he began to be annoyed. It was when he had to forceably hold her down to keep her from throwing herself off the bed by straddling her and pinning her arms to her side, that he knew there was no turning back. She was going to wake up and meet him for the first time with him on top of her, and then she was going to kill him.
He knew this, and yet for some inexplicable reason, he couldn't bring himself to get up off of her and very quickly (and safely) exit the room. So he found himself in quite a situation, one he knew his own sense of honor wasn't going to let him safely get out of. With a sigh of resignation, he leaned into her and pressed his nose into her throat, breathing in the rich, floral scent of her skin. From deep within his chest he willed up that rumbling gift of his women seemed to like so much, and with one last, resigned sigh, began to purr.
She stilled her struggling beneath him almost instantly, and as her fists uncurled, and as her body relaxed and a small, peaceful smile graced her features, he knew, beyond any possible doubt, that she was going to wake up at any moment, and that that moment would be his last.
So when her eyelids fluttered, and that adorable little smile on her face curled into a yawn, that innate male terror that told him he was so getting slapped with a sexual harassment suit the instant she became cognizant, kicked into action, and his grip on her wrists loosened. Okay, he knew she was going to kill him. Being freaked out was not going to solve anything. Think Zen, boyo.
You are ...the leaf.
You are ...the tofu?
You are ... so full of crap.
He hung his head. Damn, Zen just wasn't his forte. He shook his head and said one last prayer to the universe for her not to kill him, and watched fearfully as her eyes began to open.
He was greeted by the slightest hint of blue, then little flecks of grey peeked out from beneath the steadily lifting lids, then the darkness of contracting pupils. Her eyelids fluttered, quivering, as she stretched a bit and yawned.
He stared, mouth open. It had to be a sin for someone to be so damn sexy first thing in the morning. It was wrong for her to look that good right away! Especially when he couldn't have her, and even more especially because in about two seconds she was going to disembowel him.
And then she just had to arch up into him.
He nearly collapsed at that. Oh, hell no! He skittered off of her then, tumbling off the bed and hitting the wall with a loud BANG that sent books tumbling off their precarious perches and falling to the floor with equally loud thumps. He cringed at each one, nearly in tears.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!!!!
He scrambled to his feet, tripping over them in the process and falling on his ass again. Oh, no, no, no! This was just his luck!
He struggled to the door as the girl in his bed yawned again and made little grumbling noises of annoyance, the bare skin of his legs burned by the carpet in the process. Wincing and falling on his face again as his wrist gave out in his haste, he looked up to find himself an inch away from the door.
Oh, thank God.
He reached up for the knob and twisted it clumsily.
It clicked.
His heart fell into his guts, and he twisted the knob again frantically.
Click
It was locked! Goddammit!
Heart pounding like a hammer in his chest, his eyes searched wildly around the room for a place to hide. They fell on what could very well be his salvation or his doom, and without a second thought, he scrambled for the tall, slender lamp in the corner, shimmied up the wall into a standing position, and jammed himself into the corner behind it. He closed his eyes and held his breath, trying desperately to ignore the nervous sweat that now beaded his brow and upper lip. He said a silent prayer to the Universe, Buddha, Krishna, the God, and God, in frantic hope that ONE of them would have power over his fate and make her not see him! He hoped he hoped he hoped...
The girl was groaning again, and he peeked one eye open to see what his Doom was doing. She was rolling herself into a sitting position heavily, lazily stretching her arms above her head as all that hair of hers spilled down her back like heavy, layered silk. He bit his lip and opened the other eye. She yawned, throwing her head back and arching into the morning sunlight.
His mouth twisted up as if he'd bitten something sour, and his eyes got huge and watery. He pouted angrily as she got to her feet and stretched again. This was starting to piss him off. Really, why would nature put him in this position to be so close to...to...to that and not be able to touch her? It wasn't bloody fair!
It also wasn't bloody fair that he hadn't been with a woman in ages...
But that was a different matter entirely.
The sound of her heavy, trudging footsteps walking around the bed and toward the door snapped him back into reality. He tensed and clamped his eyes shut again, trying not to breath at all, and waited as her trudge-shuffling self got steadily closer and closer...
Glaring at whatever supreme power controlled his fate from behind his eyelids, he pressed his back harder into the wall, hoping that smooshing his flesh into the cool surface would somehow camouflage his own pale skin. It would work! It...could work...couldn't it?
A sinking feeling of doubt was the absolute last thing he needed at the moment. She wouldn't see him! It wasn't going to happen! All he had to do was tell himself to look on the bright side, and...
And she chose that exact moment to stop walking toward the door.
His bladder contracted painfully.
OhGodohGodohGodohGodohGodohGod---
He then had an overwhelming compulsion to open his eyes that could not be thwarted. He tried, though it was in vain, knowing that upon the lifting of his silver-lashed lids, his awful fate would be sealed and she would serve him his own balls on a silver platter. His senses were screaming at him to not open his eyes, every instinct wailing indistinctively that it was not a good idea at all.
Nevertheless, he opened his eyes.
She was staring at her reflection in a full-length mirror that was facing his corner.
No, she was looking at the reflection of a lamp with a nearly naked, extremely frightened looking man behind it in a full-length mirror.
No, she was looking at him!
It was in that moment of absolute terror that whatever sense and intelligence he had decided to fall into a dead faint onto the floor and leave him standing there left to his own devices.
His lips quivered as a stunned, comprehensive expression filled her lovely face, and it was in that moment that he knew that if she fully woke up, his balls were as good as gone. Desperation fueled with a dab of insanity brought forth from the depths of his soul one last frightened (and completely crazy) plan, and he said in the firmest voice he could muster, with the most integrity he could find within himself, while looking deeply into her confused blue eyes, "You don't see me."
She blinked at him, completely bewildered, and opened her mouth to object.
"Nope! You don't see anything! No one is talking to you right now!" he roared, making her jump.
Indignation filled her fact. "But-"
"What did I just say?? Are you deaf?! There's no one here! You are alone in this room! I'm not standing behind a lamp in my underwear at all! I'm not even real!"
"But...yes you are! I see you! You're standing behind that lamp in your underwear!" she accused, but she looked incredibly fuzzy and confused as she said it.
"You're LYING!" he attempted to roar, although it came out closer to a shriek.
They stared at each other then, his eyes wide and wild, and her looking like she might cry from complete confusion.
And then she gathered her wits together and frowned at him. "No, I'm not! I can see you, you idiot! You're standing behind my lamp!"
"Eh...No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No I'm not!"
"YES. YOU. ARE!"
"NOI'MNOT!!!"
"Well, then what the hell ARE YOU DOING?!" she demanded, stamping her foot on the floor.
He sniffed indignantly, squared his shoulders, and jutted his chin out in defiance. "I'm not doing anything, you weirdo. I AM the lamp."
Her mouth fell open and she stared at him in completely confusion.
She shook her head and blinked, gathering herself up again. "But---"
"No! You're just confused! You need to leave the room immediately, and forget you were ever talking to a lamp!"
"But I-"
"Leave! Leave now!" He shrieked each word, rattling the lamp for emphasis. She took a step back before realizing what she was doing and glaring at him.
"Now wait a-"
"I'm not listening! You're just talking to yourself, you loony! What kind of a nutjob are you, anyway, talking to a lamp?!"
She stared at him unhappily, looking so perplexed it was painful for him to look at her, but he screwed his expression into a stern scowl and did it anyway.
"Out! Get out! Do it! Do it now! NOW!" He roared.
She had taken two running leaps toward the door before she stopped, put her hands on her hips, and pouted at him. "Well, you don't have to be so mean about it." She grumbled.
"Out! Now! Madwoman! Weirdo! Freak! Oddball! You're talking to a lamp, you wack job! Get out of here before I call the loony bin!"
"But you're a lamp..."
"That's not the point!"
"Well, then what is the point??!" she asked crossly, continuing her walk to the door.
"That you've gone off your rocker because you're talking to a goddamn lamp, that's what! And you've got to leave or I really will call the loony bin!" He reached for the phone on the nightstand and rattled it at her threateningly. "I will! I'll do it! Don't tempt me! I'm a merciless, angry lamp!" He shook the phone at her for extra emphasis, quirking his eyebrows into what he hoped was an evil expression.
"I'm leaving already, jeeze!"
"Out, get out out OUT!!!!!!!"
"Shut up!!" she shouted as she unlocked the door and pulled it open.
"Leeeeaaaaave!!!" he yowled.
"GODDAMN BLOODY LAMPS!" she hollered as she stomped into the hallway. "You can just stay in there for all I care!" She added, her face red with anger. She then turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her so hard the wall rattled. He waited until the pounding of her footsteps on the carpet were far from the door before tumbling out from behind the lamp with a loud gasp.
He clutched his chest as he inhaled, leaning over and putting his other hand on his knee to support himself. His eyes were wet as he let out a shaky, strangled laugh. "Goddamn." He panted, shaking his head to clear out the adrenaline that was rushing through him and making his vision spin. "Inu-Yasha, old boy, you are one lucky bastard."
It was then that the pounding of his disgruntled bed partners angry footsteps altered there thundering course and the stomping sound began to get closer rather than farther away. His heart lurched painfully in his chest.
"Shit!"
He dove for his duffel bag beside the bed, and made like hell for the window.
If all else failed, he told himself, to hell with doors. When in peril, use the window.
Kagome, in her hungover fury, paused suddenly at the end of the hall, the inkling that something was not quite right making a clear path through her fuzzy brain. She stared at the floor, then at the living room doorway, then at the wall, trying to place just what seemed out of place.
Had she missed something?
And then it hit her.
"Goddamn stupid sonofa----" she muttered as she wheeled around and stormed back up the hall until she reached her closed door. She grasped the doorknob and flung the door open to reveal--- an empty room, where the only sight that greeted her was the gentle stirring of her pale yellow curtains in the breeze.
She stayed confused for the rest of the day.
___________
End note: alright, first off, I had more I was going to write at the end of this chapter, but I decided to save it for the next one just to make sure I had a jump start on chapter 10 as a precaution against my usual writers block when it comes to this story. So if this chapter felt a little incomplete, it's because it kinda was. Secondly, I actually do have a basic plan of action for this story, and I want you to know that it IS heading in some sort of direction. Whether that direction makes any SENSE is not the point! This story isn't really supposed to be rational. Urgh. I'm not even going to try to read the previous ones. I have a love/hate relationship with OUR HOUSE, and I'm currently in the 'oh my freaking god why the hell did I write that??!!' kind of mood for the previous chapters. So! Read them over again if you feel you must, but if not, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A new one will be following it shortly. La!
Warning: this is story is not supposed to make sense. The characters are usually OOC, the plot is an AU, and, in fact, this is mostly a PWP anyway, so don't get pissy because I have a tendency to go all over the place with the storyline. If you don't like it and you want something more structured, read something else. Don't attack me because it's not what you want. I'm writing this story for the fun of it, and while I'm perfectly capable of writing something WITH plot and substance, I have made a conscious choice with OUR HOUSE to just go wild. Just thought you should know. ^_^
Disclaimer: come on, you know I don't own Inu-Yasha.
OUR HOUSE Chapter 9:
' 'V' is very, very extraordinary.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning lay warm and welcome across the gently snoring figures tucked so comfortably together on the pale rose-colored blankets. The room was alight with a dreamy golden haze that only those mornings of complete bliss seemed capable of manifesting. The sweet scents of jasmine and rose drifted lazily in the sunbeams with the dust, falling gently, only to be scattered by the even breaths of those that slumbered so peacefully on the bed.
Eyelids adorned by luscious silver lashes fluttered, and the eyes beneath searched through some swiftly fading dream for the last vestiges of sleep. The man inhaled deeply again, pressing his face into his pillow, not wanting to wake.
Wakefullness came, however, and bit by bit, his awareness stretched, and his brain attempted its first computation of the day...
Something smelled wonderful. He inhaled deeply again, and corrected himself; His pillow smelled wonderful. He pressed his nose into it, snuggling his face closer and breathing contentedly. Mmmm...his pillow was also warm. Warm and smelling so strongly like jasmine flowers he could almost taste it.
He hugged his pillow tighter, smiling slightly. God, he felt great. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up feeling so refreshed. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time his pillow had felt so good.
He opened one eye to look at the clock, hissed, and closed it again. "Goddamn morning sunlight..."he mumbled, pressing his face deeper into the welcoming warmth of his pillow. He couldn't handle that much light in the mornings. He needed darkness. Pitch black, lovely darkness. The kind you could cut a knife through. Yeah, darkness was sounding real good right about now. Darkness, and maybe some food.
Except that he really didn't want to move. His warm, comfy, sweet smelling pillow was just too attractive to let go of, and he could deal with all that golden light if his pillow would just hold still-----
His eyes flew open. Wait...hold still?
Amber eyes stared, uncomprehending, as a golden world gone double merged into one bare shoulder and the spill of silken black hair above his head.
And quite suddenly he was aware of several other things; His arm was thrown across the curve of a waist, his hand tucked just beneath the swell of somebody else's breast, and his face was pressed into the middle of another human beings smooth back.
Further inspection revealed that (presumably in his sleep) he'd curled himself around this person's tender sleeping form, so that his entire lower half was very thoroughly molded against theirs, and their legs and feet were tangled together.
Blinking in drowsy confusion, he settled back against her, pressed his cheek to her back, and listened to the even sound of her breathing. Okay, think. Think, think, think. What the hell had he done last night? And who was this?
Very carefully, he eased himself up into a sitting position, and stared down at the girl he'd been using as a pillow.
She had long black hair that fell into her eyes before spilling out behind her onto the pillow. Beneath the hair, he could see a soft-looking pink mouth, the lips parted as she breathed. Her nose was small and pert, her eyes large and fitted with thick lashes, her eyebrows dark and brooding.
She was annoyingly adorable in her sleep, so cute and flushed and completely vulnerable. Waking up next to someone like that would have been great if he'd known her. Too bad he had no idea who the hell she was.
He flopped back down onto the bed, all his early care not to wake her forgotten. She bounced slightly at his sudden movement, and then sighed as she settled, making a noise so undeniably cute as she snuggled back into the covers that he wanted to cuddle her.
Damn.
He scowled at the ceiling. This just wasn't fair. This was unusual, and this wasn't fair.
He replayed last night through his mind diligently. Okay, he'd driven out to Miroku's Summer House. He'd gone into the house, brushed his teeth, and gone to bed. He hadn't gotten drunk. He hadn't brought any adorable, snuggly women home with him. He'd just gone to bed! So what the hell was going on???
The woman in question decided on that very moment to moan softly in her sleep and roll over.
He found himself nearly nose-to-nose with that softly pouting face, and he froze completely at the sight.
Shit, shit, shit. If he hadn't brought her home, and she hadn't snuck in, then that would mean she was there first, and he'd snuck into bed with her without realizing it. Now that would be a Very Bad Thing for him if she freaked out when she found him lying there next to her.
...that is, if she found him lying there next to her when she woke up...
Eyeing her sleeping face for any possible signs of wakefulness, and judging by her deep breathing that she was very much asleep, he carefully began to edge his way off the bed. Delicately, he unraveled his feet and legs from hers, trying not to revel in the silken texture of her skin, and how it seemed to caress him as he pulled away. He groaned. God, was he really that desperate that he had to be turned on by the feeling of some random girls legs brushing his? Had it really been that long since his last girl?
Scowling, he continued to slither off the bed, and nearly cried when she made yet another soft cooing sound in her sleep. He gritted his teeth and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Yes, dammit, it had been that long.
Blah.
Stupid world.
It was then, as he had an arm and a leg over the edge of the bed and was about to make his getaway, that his foot decided to get tangled in the sheets. Even more unfortunate, however, was that he was off-balance when this happened, as half his body was leaning over the edge of the mattress, and he ended up falling off the bed and hitting the floor with a loud, undignified thump that surely woke his slumbering bed partner.
He also took most of the blankets with him.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
And double damn!
He lay there, breathing heavily, trying to swallow his rapid pulse, and straining his ears for the slightest hint that she'd woken up. Long seconds passed where the only sounds he heard was that of her soft breathing and his own pounding heartbeat.
He waited perhaps a second too long to crawl out of the room, because the instant he decided it was safe to move, was the very moment she decided to moan in her sleep.
The sound nearly stopped his heart. Shit, was she waking up??
He stared wildly at the edge of the mattress, expecting at any moment for her to roll over and come face to face with him and start screaming her head off. And that would be bad. He winced at the thought. No, that was not what he wanted to happen at all.
But she didn't roll over. She just continued to make unhappy little sounds. He raised an eyebrow. Was she dreaming, then?
Another minute passed and she continued to make those noises, but wasn't moving.
And then she spoke. "No...don't..."
His ears perked up at the words. She had to be dreaming.
He had a thirty-second battle with himself before curiosity won over caution and he peeked over the edge of the bed.
There she lay, in short pajama shorts and a slightly unbuttoned top, hands clutching the sheet beneath her, back arched slightly, faced scrunched up into a heavy frown.
His eyes widened to the size of saucers. Wow.
With her back arched like that, her toes curling, her legs a little spread, and those soft moaning sounds forcing their way through her clenched teeth, she looked like she was in mid---
No! Bad boy! Must not think such things! You don't even know her! Bad! Bad!
Despite the mental slaps he was giving himself, he couldn't bring himself to look away. It was quite a sight. After all, it wasn't every day he got to see a highly attractive young woman in short-shorts and a scant pajama top wriggling around on his mattress when he first woke up in the morning.
He hung his head. Damn. It really had been too long. His mouth was already dry and he didn't even know her.
And then she started whimpering.
His head jerked back up and he stared at her, finding on her face a look of pain and rage. His eyebrows shot up further. Woa, bad dream. Poor girl.
Well, he reasoned, even so, her dreaming was no reason for him to get caught. She could wake up at any moment, and now that he was out of the bed, it really was in his best interest to leave immediately.
He turned his head, reaching for his duffel bag and making a small move towards the door, when she let out a soft cry of pain that froze him. Ah, no, don't start with the pained noises, girlie. Not now, when he was still so vulnerable to her feminine charms.
*Whimper* *cry*
He hung his head in defeat. Damn his chivalrous nature. Dammit it all to hell.
Slowly, grudgingly, he turned around and stared at her. She was thrashing slightly, writhing around and looking more than a little frightened. Gloomily, he climbed back onto the bed so that he sat beside her, and cautiously slipped his hand into hers, hoping to bring some comfort to her. Her hand tightened in his as she whimpered, sweat puckering on her furrowed brow. He smoothed her damp bangs out of her face, and sighed. Well, hopefully she would calm down and not wake up in time to watch him leaving.
Kagome was dreaming.
She knew it, because there was a sense of wrongness to where she was. As if she was supposed to be partially cognizant there through some malicious intent of her mind. Which was odd, because she normally wouldn't inflict that sort of thing on herself. No vast spaces of hollow darkness that echoed with evil laughter. No, Kagome was not a dreamer of bad things. Her dreams usually involved giant bowls of steaming oden that she would swim in as she feasted, or endless supplies of pocky just waiting for her to devour, or...bunnies and stuffed monkeys and...stuff of that nature. Kagome sweatdropped when she realized how fluffy all her dreams were. Jeeze, when did she become such a sissy?
Meh. Regardless of her usual silly dreams, she couldn't disregard the fact that for two nights in a row she'd had bad dreams. It was highly unusual, and not something she wanted to dismiss, especially since she was in another bad dream.
She shook her head. She also had to admit to the possibly that this dream wasn't actually that bad. Sure, it was dark and gloomy and a little creepy, but it was her dream...maybe she could brighten it up some?
She scrunched up her face and closed her eyes, wondering as she did it if it was even necessary. It was a dream, after all. She kept her eyes closed, though, as she brought an image of oden into her mind. A great big, steaming, deliciously scented bowl of----
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
She faltered, and blinked. What the...? That hadn't come from her. She was sure of it. But it not coming from her wasn't possible. So then how...?
She heard laughter all around her. Deep, rumbling, and particularly male, laughter. Her eyes widened. "Sweetheart, this just isn't that kind of dream. You can't chase me away this time. No one is going to wake you up." Kagome felt that voice run across her skin like a sweaty caress, and she shivered, her skin tingling in wake of the contact. Who was doing this??
"You mean you don't remember me?" the voice pouted, "I remember you, sweetheart. I remember your taste..." She felt a hot tongue run along her neck, and the sick feeling in her stomach spread up into her throat. What in the---
"Ah, Ah, Ah, Kag-chan. I wanna feel you beneath my hands again..."
Someone elses hands found their way under her blouse, fondling her skin possessively, locking her in place with a grip that burned. She struggled, that sense of utter wrongness choking her, and with a great wrench, flung herself free of her captor.
She whirled in the dark, stumbling over her feet, his laughter chasing her footsteps. Outrage ran through her hotter and faster than blood, and she lashed out at whoever was taunting her. GoawaygoawaygoAWAY!!!
He continued to laugh, and actually made a soft tut-tut at her behavior.
It was that soft reprimand that gave the voice away.
//Kouga.//
"Ooh, look at you. Didn't think you were gonna figure it out, darlin'. Well, I'm glad you proved me wrong. Wouldn't want to have a stupid woman, now would I? Wouldn't look good to the gang."
//You sick fucking bastard. Get out of my head right now or I'll cut you in half! Better yet, stay here! I'll have a hella good time kicking your lying ass!//
He chuckled. The bastard actually had the gall to chuckle. Ooh, she was going to kill him!
"Kagome, Kagome. You poor, silly girl. When are you going to realize that you can't beat me? I own you. You are mine. The sooner you realize it and come back to me, the better off you and your family will be."
She lunged at darkness, snarling at his laughter. He wasn't anywhere. He had no substance, no self. How was she supposed to strangle a ghost??
//I'll never be yours again, Kouga! It's over between us. I despise you.//
She put as much loathing as she could into the words, and lashed at him with them.
To her surprise, she felt him recoil in pain. Triumph flared within her. Ha! Take that!
Something struck her full in the face, sending her sprawling into a tangle of limbs on the floor. His anger hit her in scalding waves, flattening her, leaving her quivering and whimpering in rage and fear. She lashed out again, striking blindly with her emotions---and all at once the torrent of rage he'd been channeling at her stopped. She strained her ears and listened, panting slightly, adrenaline singing through her veins.
Suddenly he laughed again, and this time she was sure it was close by.
She opened her eyes, and found him staring down at her, looking grimly amused. His handsome face had that stupid self-important smirk that she had grown to loathe.
Her face contorted with rage. //You sick BASTARD!// She swung her fist to pummel him, but he caught her wrist.
His face was peaceful as he held her down. His hand clamped down on her other wrist even as she thought to move it, and Kagome found to her dismay, that for some reason she couldn't move any of her limbs anymore. He stroked her wrist, his expression of lazy contentment never shifting.
He leaned close to her, breathing in deeply. She cringed away from him, disgust curling in her guts. And to think she ever liked the man...God. Maybe she had temporarily lost her mind or something. There was no way she was such a bad judge of character that she didn't see Kouga had this in him.
"You have such a valiant, fighting spirit, Kagome. Even in your dreams, you're proud and strong." He leaned closer, staring deeply into her eyes, his mouth a scant inch from hers. She could feel him breathing, feel the heat radiating from him. He nuzzled her cheek. "I like it."
//get off me, Kouga! Get off me right now!//
He ignored her and continued to nuzzle her, taking in a deep breath as he did so. "Have you ever read that children's book, 'if you give a mouse a cookie'?"
She rolled her eyes. //what the hell are you talking about?//
He continued on as if she hadn't spoken. "Every time that little boy gave the mouse a cookie, the mouse wanted more and more, and there were consequences every time."
He's completely insane, she thought. Completely and totally off his rocker.
"Well, you're my cookie, Kagome, and I'm the mouse. I just want more and more of you, and I'm going to have my fill, sweetheart. Whether you like it or not." The last was said so viciously that she felt it tear through her skin. She whimpered again through clenched teeth, trying her damndest not to give him the satisfaction of her suffering. She gathered her rage again, preparing to strike the loony bastard and kick him the hell out of her mind, when suddenly, a calming presence filled the gloom of her dream.
Kouga shoved her away from him, hissing and yowling like a cat drenched in water.
Kagome got to her feet, staring at the dreamscape as it began to steadily brighten with an amber light more beautiful and more comforting than any dawn she had ever seen. Kouga was fading before her eyes, looking wild with fury. He was a wisp of fighting black smoke, a phantom, a shade, and she knew with complete certainty that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to hurt her when that golden presence was there. She laughed at him then, grinning as his form spun into non-existence. //Not so proud now, are ya, Kouga?//
"I'll get you, bitch! And your little dogs, too! Don't think I can't sense them! I'll teach you to cheat on me! I'll-----"
The amber light flared up with a blinding brilliance, swallowing his shrieking shadow, and spitting him out of her mind. The light rose and rose over her like a tidal wave, and as she stretched her head up to see, she realized that there was no limit to it. That never-ending light rose above her like a sea of wonder, and she craned her head back further to watch the edges of it sparkle and gleam with promise.
And when it crashed down on her, she was smiling peacefully.
When she was making those cute little whimpering sounds, he hadn't really regretted staying to make sure she was okay. When she started growling and writhing about, he was more fascinated than annoyed. Even when she started throwing herself around on the bed and right into his lap, he wasn't bothered. Wasn't every day a beautiful girl wriggled around in his lap, after all.
It was when she started lashing out at him like he was trying to kill her that he began to be annoyed. It was when he had to forceably hold her down to keep her from throwing herself off the bed by straddling her and pinning her arms to her side, that he knew there was no turning back. She was going to wake up and meet him for the first time with him on top of her, and then she was going to kill him.
He knew this, and yet for some inexplicable reason, he couldn't bring himself to get up off of her and very quickly (and safely) exit the room. So he found himself in quite a situation, one he knew his own sense of honor wasn't going to let him safely get out of. With a sigh of resignation, he leaned into her and pressed his nose into her throat, breathing in the rich, floral scent of her skin. From deep within his chest he willed up that rumbling gift of his women seemed to like so much, and with one last, resigned sigh, began to purr.
She stilled her struggling beneath him almost instantly, and as her fists uncurled, and as her body relaxed and a small, peaceful smile graced her features, he knew, beyond any possible doubt, that she was going to wake up at any moment, and that that moment would be his last.
So when her eyelids fluttered, and that adorable little smile on her face curled into a yawn, that innate male terror that told him he was so getting slapped with a sexual harassment suit the instant she became cognizant, kicked into action, and his grip on her wrists loosened. Okay, he knew she was going to kill him. Being freaked out was not going to solve anything. Think Zen, boyo.
You are ...the leaf.
You are ...the tofu?
You are ... so full of crap.
He hung his head. Damn, Zen just wasn't his forte. He shook his head and said one last prayer to the universe for her not to kill him, and watched fearfully as her eyes began to open.
He was greeted by the slightest hint of blue, then little flecks of grey peeked out from beneath the steadily lifting lids, then the darkness of contracting pupils. Her eyelids fluttered, quivering, as she stretched a bit and yawned.
He stared, mouth open. It had to be a sin for someone to be so damn sexy first thing in the morning. It was wrong for her to look that good right away! Especially when he couldn't have her, and even more especially because in about two seconds she was going to disembowel him.
And then she just had to arch up into him.
He nearly collapsed at that. Oh, hell no! He skittered off of her then, tumbling off the bed and hitting the wall with a loud BANG that sent books tumbling off their precarious perches and falling to the floor with equally loud thumps. He cringed at each one, nearly in tears.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!!!!
He scrambled to his feet, tripping over them in the process and falling on his ass again. Oh, no, no, no! This was just his luck!
He struggled to the door as the girl in his bed yawned again and made little grumbling noises of annoyance, the bare skin of his legs burned by the carpet in the process. Wincing and falling on his face again as his wrist gave out in his haste, he looked up to find himself an inch away from the door.
Oh, thank God.
He reached up for the knob and twisted it clumsily.
It clicked.
His heart fell into his guts, and he twisted the knob again frantically.
Click
It was locked! Goddammit!
Heart pounding like a hammer in his chest, his eyes searched wildly around the room for a place to hide. They fell on what could very well be his salvation or his doom, and without a second thought, he scrambled for the tall, slender lamp in the corner, shimmied up the wall into a standing position, and jammed himself into the corner behind it. He closed his eyes and held his breath, trying desperately to ignore the nervous sweat that now beaded his brow and upper lip. He said a silent prayer to the Universe, Buddha, Krishna, the God, and God, in frantic hope that ONE of them would have power over his fate and make her not see him! He hoped he hoped he hoped...
The girl was groaning again, and he peeked one eye open to see what his Doom was doing. She was rolling herself into a sitting position heavily, lazily stretching her arms above her head as all that hair of hers spilled down her back like heavy, layered silk. He bit his lip and opened the other eye. She yawned, throwing her head back and arching into the morning sunlight.
His mouth twisted up as if he'd bitten something sour, and his eyes got huge and watery. He pouted angrily as she got to her feet and stretched again. This was starting to piss him off. Really, why would nature put him in this position to be so close to...to...to that and not be able to touch her? It wasn't bloody fair!
It also wasn't bloody fair that he hadn't been with a woman in ages...
But that was a different matter entirely.
The sound of her heavy, trudging footsteps walking around the bed and toward the door snapped him back into reality. He tensed and clamped his eyes shut again, trying not to breath at all, and waited as her trudge-shuffling self got steadily closer and closer...
Glaring at whatever supreme power controlled his fate from behind his eyelids, he pressed his back harder into the wall, hoping that smooshing his flesh into the cool surface would somehow camouflage his own pale skin. It would work! It...could work...couldn't it?
A sinking feeling of doubt was the absolute last thing he needed at the moment. She wouldn't see him! It wasn't going to happen! All he had to do was tell himself to look on the bright side, and...
And she chose that exact moment to stop walking toward the door.
His bladder contracted painfully.
OhGodohGodohGodohGodohGodohGod---
He then had an overwhelming compulsion to open his eyes that could not be thwarted. He tried, though it was in vain, knowing that upon the lifting of his silver-lashed lids, his awful fate would be sealed and she would serve him his own balls on a silver platter. His senses were screaming at him to not open his eyes, every instinct wailing indistinctively that it was not a good idea at all.
Nevertheless, he opened his eyes.
She was staring at her reflection in a full-length mirror that was facing his corner.
No, she was looking at the reflection of a lamp with a nearly naked, extremely frightened looking man behind it in a full-length mirror.
No, she was looking at him!
It was in that moment of absolute terror that whatever sense and intelligence he had decided to fall into a dead faint onto the floor and leave him standing there left to his own devices.
His lips quivered as a stunned, comprehensive expression filled her lovely face, and it was in that moment that he knew that if she fully woke up, his balls were as good as gone. Desperation fueled with a dab of insanity brought forth from the depths of his soul one last frightened (and completely crazy) plan, and he said in the firmest voice he could muster, with the most integrity he could find within himself, while looking deeply into her confused blue eyes, "You don't see me."
She blinked at him, completely bewildered, and opened her mouth to object.
"Nope! You don't see anything! No one is talking to you right now!" he roared, making her jump.
Indignation filled her fact. "But-"
"What did I just say?? Are you deaf?! There's no one here! You are alone in this room! I'm not standing behind a lamp in my underwear at all! I'm not even real!"
"But...yes you are! I see you! You're standing behind that lamp in your underwear!" she accused, but she looked incredibly fuzzy and confused as she said it.
"You're LYING!" he attempted to roar, although it came out closer to a shriek.
They stared at each other then, his eyes wide and wild, and her looking like she might cry from complete confusion.
And then she gathered her wits together and frowned at him. "No, I'm not! I can see you, you idiot! You're standing behind my lamp!"
"Eh...No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No I'm not!"
"YES. YOU. ARE!"
"NOI'MNOT!!!"
"Well, then what the hell ARE YOU DOING?!" she demanded, stamping her foot on the floor.
He sniffed indignantly, squared his shoulders, and jutted his chin out in defiance. "I'm not doing anything, you weirdo. I AM the lamp."
Her mouth fell open and she stared at him in completely confusion.
She shook her head and blinked, gathering herself up again. "But---"
"No! You're just confused! You need to leave the room immediately, and forget you were ever talking to a lamp!"
"But I-"
"Leave! Leave now!" He shrieked each word, rattling the lamp for emphasis. She took a step back before realizing what she was doing and glaring at him.
"Now wait a-"
"I'm not listening! You're just talking to yourself, you loony! What kind of a nutjob are you, anyway, talking to a lamp?!"
She stared at him unhappily, looking so perplexed it was painful for him to look at her, but he screwed his expression into a stern scowl and did it anyway.
"Out! Get out! Do it! Do it now! NOW!" He roared.
She had taken two running leaps toward the door before she stopped, put her hands on her hips, and pouted at him. "Well, you don't have to be so mean about it." She grumbled.
"Out! Now! Madwoman! Weirdo! Freak! Oddball! You're talking to a lamp, you wack job! Get out of here before I call the loony bin!"
"But you're a lamp..."
"That's not the point!"
"Well, then what is the point??!" she asked crossly, continuing her walk to the door.
"That you've gone off your rocker because you're talking to a goddamn lamp, that's what! And you've got to leave or I really will call the loony bin!" He reached for the phone on the nightstand and rattled it at her threateningly. "I will! I'll do it! Don't tempt me! I'm a merciless, angry lamp!" He shook the phone at her for extra emphasis, quirking his eyebrows into what he hoped was an evil expression.
"I'm leaving already, jeeze!"
"Out, get out out OUT!!!!!!!"
"Shut up!!" she shouted as she unlocked the door and pulled it open.
"Leeeeaaaaave!!!" he yowled.
"GODDAMN BLOODY LAMPS!" she hollered as she stomped into the hallway. "You can just stay in there for all I care!" She added, her face red with anger. She then turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her so hard the wall rattled. He waited until the pounding of her footsteps on the carpet were far from the door before tumbling out from behind the lamp with a loud gasp.
He clutched his chest as he inhaled, leaning over and putting his other hand on his knee to support himself. His eyes were wet as he let out a shaky, strangled laugh. "Goddamn." He panted, shaking his head to clear out the adrenaline that was rushing through him and making his vision spin. "Inu-Yasha, old boy, you are one lucky bastard."
It was then that the pounding of his disgruntled bed partners angry footsteps altered there thundering course and the stomping sound began to get closer rather than farther away. His heart lurched painfully in his chest.
"Shit!"
He dove for his duffel bag beside the bed, and made like hell for the window.
If all else failed, he told himself, to hell with doors. When in peril, use the window.
Kagome, in her hungover fury, paused suddenly at the end of the hall, the inkling that something was not quite right making a clear path through her fuzzy brain. She stared at the floor, then at the living room doorway, then at the wall, trying to place just what seemed out of place.
Had she missed something?
And then it hit her.
"Goddamn stupid sonofa----" she muttered as she wheeled around and stormed back up the hall until she reached her closed door. She grasped the doorknob and flung the door open to reveal--- an empty room, where the only sight that greeted her was the gentle stirring of her pale yellow curtains in the breeze.
She stayed confused for the rest of the day.
___________
End note: alright, first off, I had more I was going to write at the end of this chapter, but I decided to save it for the next one just to make sure I had a jump start on chapter 10 as a precaution against my usual writers block when it comes to this story. So if this chapter felt a little incomplete, it's because it kinda was. Secondly, I actually do have a basic plan of action for this story, and I want you to know that it IS heading in some sort of direction. Whether that direction makes any SENSE is not the point! This story isn't really supposed to be rational. Urgh. I'm not even going to try to read the previous ones. I have a love/hate relationship with OUR HOUSE, and I'm currently in the 'oh my freaking god why the hell did I write that??!!' kind of mood for the previous chapters. So! Read them over again if you feel you must, but if not, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A new one will be following it shortly. La!