Early Shouts-
CandyGirl- I can't reveal that now. You'll just have to read on.
Chelsea- Sorry, but there's more where that came from. And I don't like to wait either, especailly on a REALLY good story.
Earth Goddess- Thankyou.
Hououza- We'll have to wait and find out. tee-hee
Izayoi- Thank you for the tips. I'll have to try to remember them., but knowing me, I'll probably slip up somewhere. ;
Fantasy-seal- Sorry about that. I'll see what I can do in this chapter about that little mishap.
cherrygirl- Thank you very much for saying that. I have been trying to gradually increase my input on the chapters but sometimes I feel as though some things shouldn't be added at that time. I'm trying to add some suspense, But I will see what I can do.
xSerenityz020- Thankyou, but lately I've been slacking. I'll try to keep myself caught up in it.
For those of you I missed because I kept track, but don't have the names, or the more recent reviewers, I thank you for reveiweing and I hope you enjoy this fic. . I also apologize greatly for the lack of updating, due to the fact that school has started and homework has been given every night since then. Blah. Stupid homework.....
Enough said.... On with the fic.
Last Chapter
The group practiced for hours, enjoying each other's company and goofing around a little bit. Kagome mixed up the words of one of the songs to make fun of Inuyasha playfully. Sesshomaru had put one drumstick up near Miroku's head and hit it with the other, making a loud noise, as if he had actually hit Miroku with one stick. They continued practicing and playing around until it was dark. Even then, none seemed to really mind.
Now
Kagome walked through the door to her house. On the wall in front of the door, was a clock that read 11:25 pm. She sighed audibly, realizing her mother was already asleep. 'At least it's only a few minutes. I can blame it on traffic.' She slipped off her shoes and quietly made her way up the stairs to her rom. She closed the door slowly and silently. As she changed into her pajamas, she recalled the events of the day and smiled when she pictured Inuyasha with a genuine smile on his face (A/N: Riiight, how often does that happen?). She sighed contently as she got into her bed and pulled the covers over her. As she slept, a peaceful smile graced her lips.
The mysterious figure, previously caught by our favorite hanyou, stood in a cell with an orange jumpsuit, waiting for nothing. A guard started walking towards his cell, keys jingling by his side, walkie-talkie full of conversation.
"Come on. You've got company." the gurad said in a cool, calm, yet demanding tone.
Said figure raised and eyebrow and turned his back to the cell door, allowing the urad to place handcuffs around his wrists as a safety precaution. As they walked down the barred corridor, he made subtle acknowledgements to those who nodded or talked to him. He was led to a room with tables and chairs (almost like benches). A young woman sat alone at one of the tables, waiting for an unknown person. The guard led him to her.
He sat across from her, taking in her appearance. She had long, chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes. She had a slim figure and her skin looked like porcelin. Her face held a menacing scowl, though, no more than Sesshomaru. "Who are you?" the figure asked in a deep, cold tone.
"I am the one that hired you to take care of Kagome Higurashi, Naraku"
"It seems you have an advantage over me. Can I have the name of my employer?" he asked.
"That is none of your concern at this moment. What you need to worry about is finishing the job you were hired for. I can get you out, but there is a catch." He raised his eyebrow again, but his eyes still held the same emotion. "And what would that be"
"You finish your job, you get a full reward, and you're free for the rest of your life"
He looked at her disbelieveingly. "And just how could you do that"
She smirked lightly. "I have my sources"
Naraku looked at the young woman with a now expressionless face. He silentlyconsidered her offer. After a few minutes, he said, "Ok, I'll do it, but what is the FULL reward and why do you want this broad out of the way"
The young woman's lips curved into a malachious smile. "That whore took the one thing that means the world to me. She stole my love"
Naraku nodded. "Get me out of here, and I shall state my plan to you where it is safe"
Kagome woke up to the sound of an alarm clock ringing beside her. She turned over and looked at the time. 'Arg...It's too early. It's only six in the morning.' She rolled back over andtried to continue her sleep. Arguing coming from downstairs reached her ears and kept her from going back to sleep. She sighed and gave up as she rolled out of bed. The arguing from downstairs was full in depth, though she could not hear specific words or phrases. She recognized one voice as her mother's, but the other, she could not place. It did strike a familiar chord in her mind and she felt an unusual hatred towards the owner. She pushed that feeling aside and decided to get changed.
She dressed in more appropriate clothing and walked downstairs to get some breakfast. As she entered the room, the taking siezed and her mother and the unknown visitor watched her walk into the kitchen. Kagome felt them watching her, but didn't let it bother her as she gathered the materials needed for a bowl of ceareal (A/N: So I'm lazy and don't want to type all the things she gets, you all know the basics ). Kagome could hear the whispering from the living room, but she couldn't distinguish any words. not the she was an evesdropper, but if the opportunity came to her, she would take it. She decided not to pay attention to the whispering and, instead, thought back on last nights meeting with the band. A warm smile was brought upon her face. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice her mother enter the kitchen, let alone her mother's expression.
Inuyasha woke up to the unusal feelings of happiness flooding his senses and forcing a smile on his face. This smile was not one of arrogance, or malice, but of one that could only be brought on by... ' I'm not even going to go as far as thinking that,' he thought groggily to himself. The sweet smell of bacon reached his sensitive noseand he jumped out of bed, ready to run down the stairs, only to realize... ' Shit! Where's my clothes?' He walked to his dresser and got a new pair of boxers and put them on. Then he got out a clean shirt and pants. He threw on a pair of clean socks and '"flew" down the stairs. He ran in the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks at the site before him. Sesshy was cooking their breakfast! Inu stared, wide-eyedas Sesshomaru flipped the bacon in my pan and occasionally checking the oven for the biscuits with his girlfriend, Rin, sitting at the island watching him with an amused expression across her face. Inuyasha slowly walked up to Rin, still looking at Sesshy. "Is he okay"
Rin looked at Inu with a broad smile and nodded her head. "Yes. He's just happy and wanted to give me a break since the both of you eat a whole pig each"
Inu looked at his brother. "I don't even want to know why." He grabbed a plate from the cubbard and started to pick at the bacon with Sesshomaru occasionally slapping his hand with the spatula.
After he finished his small breakfast, he grabbed a banana and an apple from a fruit bowl and headed put the door.
Kagome sat down at the kitchen table with her bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. Her mother sat in front of her and sighed heavily, looking at her cup of coffee.
Kagome looked at her mom with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong mom"
Mrs. Higurashi took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, dear. Um"
The man from the livingroom walked in and placed his hand on Mrs. Higurashi's shoulder, and smiled down at her. Mrs. Higurashi set her hand on top of his and smiled up at him. "Hello, Kagome. My name is Scott. You see, Kagome. Your mother and I have been......seeing each other"
Kagome, fixing to put a spoonfull of cereal in her mouth, froze and stared at the two in front of her. A memory of her father and her mother flashed before her eyes and she dropped her spoon. She stood up, roughly knocking her chair down. She walked out of the kitchen and up to her room. She gathered a few things in her black, backback purse, and started to walk out of the rooom. The phone rang and Kagome stood in place. She heard her mother answer it and call up to her, "Kagome, telephone"
Kagome sighed and picked up the cordless in her room. Softly, she said, " I got it, mom." She heard the click of the other phone and said,"Hello"
"Hey, Kags. What are you up to today"
Kagome raised her eyebrow. "Why do you want to know, Inuyasha"
"Well, I saw a scary sight at home this morning and decided to leave before it got any worse, I wanted to practice a few songs today, and..." His voice got softer. "you were the first person I thought of to call"
Kagome started to blush lightly at his comment and replied, "Well, I was about to leave because I'm pissed off at my mom, but if it's ok, can I come with you wherever you're going"
"Sure, I'm going back to the park. Want to work on some songs with me"
Kagome smiled. She loved to sing and play guitar. It was something that could always cheer her up. "Yeah, why not"
"Because I can hear the smile in your voice right now." It was Inuyaha's turn to blush.
Kagome's smile got wider. "Ok, Inu. See you in a few." She hung up and took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves from Inu's flattery.
Inu hung up his cell phone and took a deep breath. A few minutes later, he pulled into Kagome's driveway. (A/N: I know Kagome doesn't have a drive way in the series, but this is a story people..... Imagination is the deadliest thing in the world if you really sit down to think about it ) He saw her waiting on the steps for him. She stood up, grabbed her guitar and walked towards his white '99 Camero. Kagome's mom walked out on the patio and Inu waved at her. She waved back, but with a more sorrowful look than her usual happy expression that's always on her face.
Kagome put her guitar in the backseat beside Inu's on the passenger side and got into the front passenger's seat.
Inu pulled out of Kagome's driveway and the two were on their way to the park together.
"So... on the phone, you said you and you were pissed off at your mother.What happened, if you don't mind me asking"
Kagome crossed her arms, but remained silent and continued looking out the window.
Inu passed a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Don't want to talk about it"
Kagome took a deep breath. "Remember when I told you and the others about my dad being murdered, even though it couldn't be proved?" Inu nodded his head. "Well, I woke up this morning and my mom was arguing with some guy. I have seen him on occasion, but I don't know ihm personally. I was eating breakfast and she came into the kitchen, sat down in front of me, and told me that she was 'seeing' him. I knew she was when he walked into the kitchen and stood behind my mom. I didn't give her time to say anything to me after hearing that and seeing them like that." Kagome took another deep breath and narrowed her eyes. She stayed quiet until Inuyasha drove up to a parking space. He got out and got his guitar from the back seat, then walked around to Kagome's side and opened it before she could open it herself. Kagome jumped lightly and looked at him with a surprised look on her face. He held out his free hand and helped her out of car. She grabbed her guitar out of the backseat of the car. She followed Inu through through the park.
Naraku had been following the two since his meeting with his 'boss'. He followed them to the park. He watch as Inu helped Kagome out of the car and as Kagome got her guitar. He followed several feet behind them or around them, considering Inuyasha's sensitive nose and which way the wind blew.
Inu walked up to a large Oak tree close to the playground and sat down on one of the large roots. Kagome sat beside him and sighed. Inu looked at her. "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to be here"
Kagome looked at him and smiled, "I wanted to come. I wanted to get out of my house and away from my mom"
Inu looked at her sympathetically. He started to slowly play a tune on his guitar. Kagome carefully watched his hands move expertly and began to copy his movements. Soon, they produced a smooth sounding tune with lyrics flowing around the music.
When the song was finished, Inuyasha and Kagome locked eyes and smiled at each other. Inu slowly started to close the gap between them, wich, in fact, wasn't the big to begin with. Kagome's heart started to beat faster and her breathing became labored. Inuyasha could hear her heart speed up, making his pick up its speed. Their lips were only an inch away. So close, the could feel each other's warm breath on their skin. A bouncey ball flew out of nowhere and hit the tree they were sitting under, then bounced back, landing softly between Kagome's and Inuyasha's forms. They snapped their haed in the direction of the flying ball, Kagome with a blush on her face. A young boy came running up to them with a nrevous smile on his face. "Hey mister, may I have my ball back please"
Naraku stood behind a tree, watching Kagome and Inuyasha with a distusted look on his face. 'Love. What does it get for you? Nothing. It just makes you weak.' He was just close enough to se and hear what the two were doing, but far enough away not to be noticed. He watched as the pair started to get closer and closer to each other. He scowled at them. He was about to turn away when he saw the ball fly towards them and the little boy run up to them. He snorted as he saw Inuyasha give the ball back. "Well, well, well, little Inuyasha has a crush. I can fix that." He said aloud. His lips curved into a smile that would send a chill down the spine of even the cruelest of people. He walked away and went back to his 'employer' to give the new information.
Inuyasha looked at the ball and then back at the kid. He picked up the ball, accidentally brushing Kagome's leg, and handed the boy his ball back. The young boy smiled brightly and thanked Inu for the ball. Inu just nodded his head and smiled.
Kagome smiled at the both of them. 'He's really good with kids, even if he doesn't realize it'
Inu looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Kagome smiled more and shook her head, then started to play her guitar.
"So, what was the sight that made you so scared you had to leave the house?" Kagome asked while lifting her head to look at Inu.
"Sesshomaru was cooking breakfast and his girlfreind was watching him. Thing is, I think he had a smile on his face. She was beaming this morning"
Kagome started giggling, "Did it taste decent at least"
Inu looked at her, then looked up as if contemplating it. "Yeah, I think it did, though I only got a few pieces of bacon and some fruit." Kagome lightly giggled again. Inu added, "It really smelled good though. Especially with my sense of smell"
Kagome looked at him and shook her head. "Inuyasha, may I ask you a question?" Inu looked in her eyes and nodded. "What's it like having ears like that?" Her gaze shifted upward to Inuyasha's ears.
Inu sighed but replied, "It's ok, I guess. I can hear really well with them. Better than humans. But when a girl sees them and starts wanting to pinch them and pet them all the time, it gets annoying"
Kagome looked down at the ground. "Could I..." She cut her sentence short, not knowing if Inu would get offended by the question.
Inu eyed her. "What? Do you want to pet my ears?" Kagome looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Inu chuckled and said, "Go ahead. You're gonna do it eventually." Kagome slowly raised her hand to his right ear and began to softly message the tip. Inu's eyes started to sag and a deep rumble came from his chest. 'Is he purring?' Kagome thought to herself. After a few minutes, Inu brought his hand up to hers and brought both down. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. His eyes opened slowly to reveal warm golden orbs full of hidden love. Kagome blushed lightly, noticing Inuyasha hadn't let go of her hand yet.
Kagome's cell phone began to ring.Kagome dug through her purse to find it and answered. "Hello"
"Hey, Kagome. It's Sango." replied the young female bassist of the band.
"Hey. What are you up to Sango"
"Nothing much really. Hey, have you seen Inu? Miroku just tried to call him at home and Sessy said he left. Then he tried his cell number and it didn't ring. Said it was unavailable"
Kagome looked and Inuyasha and continued with her conversation, knowing Inu heard Sango. "Well, Sango, Inuyasha might just be charging his cell phone or didn't think of turning it on. Who knows. Why did Miroku want him anyway"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. 'Why DID Miroku want me? And why didn't Kagome just tell Sango that I was with her?' His eyes lowered and his ears dropped, but her continued to listen to the conversation between the girls.
"I don't reallt know. Miroku just called and asked me if I've seen or heard from him"
"Hmm... Sounds like it might be important. If I see him, I'll tell him to give Miroku a call. Okay"
"Okay. Thanks, Kagome"
Kagoem pressed the "End" button and started laughing. Inu chuckled lightly, yet sadly. "Why didn't you just tell Sango I was here with you"
Kagome stopped laughing and looked at him with a thoughtful expression. "I don't realyl know. I guess I just wanted to be a little mischevious." She smiled brightly at him.
Inu gave a lightly smile back to her. 'I think we're corrupting her.' He shook his head and looked down at his watch. His stomach started grumbling when he read 1:30pm for the time. He looked back to Kagome with a slightly innocent smile and asked, "Do you want to go somewhere and get something to eat"
Kagome looked at him, still holding her earlier smile and nodded. She quickly picked up her things while Inu stood up. He offered is hand down to her and helped her up on her feet. She smiled at him and graciously took his offer.
A/N: FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got this chapter done... It doesn't seem long, but I wrote 12 pages, front and back of college rule just to get this. I hope you guys enjoy it.. Please forgive my lack of updating. As said before, school comes with a lot of homework, projects, and tests. Please forgive me! gets down on hands and knees and begs for forgiveness.
In the next chapter:
Kagome and Inuyasha go to a nearby cafe. Who do they meet there? What events turn up? Stay tuned to find our .
Ja ne.
Sam